By: Kacey
As 2015 comes to a close, many of us are looking back on the past 12 perfect months that were filled with joy and success and nothing but smiles.
Wait, that doesn’t sound quite right.
Okay, so maybe you made a few mistakes and didn’t always do the right thing. Maybe there are things you’d change if you could go back and do it all over again. But the hard truth is that you can’t. The good news is that you can do the next best thing: start over with a brand new year.
While you’re preparing for 2016 with cranberry vodkas and noisemakers, take a minute to think about the mistakes you made last year, what you learned and how you can do better in this new year.
Avoid these mistakes and make 2016 YOUR year.
Avoiding risk instead of embracing it
It’s hard to have the life you want without taking risks. Getting that internship, seeing the world and making friends all include some sort of risk-taking.
You probably face risks every single day and the biggest mistake you can make is shying away from them. Of course, there’s always the chance of failure, but that what makes it a risk. If you take on these risks headfirst, it could lead to great experiences and exciting adventures!
Looking for love instead of living
When it seems like all of your friends are dating or ‘talking to’ a new crush every week, it’s hard not to want that too. Who doesn’t want the excitement of a first date or the comfort of a relationship? But it’s important to remember that with all of that also comes stupid drama and more responsibility than you need right now.
You don’t need to be worrying about a significant other when you should be focusing on taking care of yourself. Now is the time to be setting your eyes on your future, not being the future Mrs. Hot Bod.
Gaining followers instead of friendship
Millennials are infamous for their constant use of phones and obsession with social media. How many times have you asked for the cute guy’s Instagram name instead of getting to know him?
Sure, social media can be a useful tool when it comes to professional networking or when you want to stay in touch with old friends, but it shouldn’t be everything. Some people in today’s world are literally addicted to social media, checking their news feeds as soon as they wake up, while driving (please don’t do this), and as soon as they go to bed. Don’t be one of them. Understanding why and how habits form can help you stop them and make sure there’s more to your life than being totally consumed with social media and constantly checking your notifications.
In a world obsessed with how many followers and “likes” you can get, be the person who puts the phone away every now and then. Take the time to actually be with the people around you and get to know them, not them through a screen.
Following the crowd instead of leading it
You basically have two choices and you’ve been hearing it forever: be a leader or a follower. The problem with doing what everyone else is doing is that you’re only going to go as far as they go. Your resume is going to look the same as everyone else’s and you won’t have any unique experiences.
Choose to run the opposite direction. If your reason for not doing something is because nobody else is, then take some advice from Nike and just do it! It’ll pay off.
After all, who didn’t love being line leader in elementary school?!
Spending instead of saving
That awkward moment when you take a look at your bank account and there is nothing there because you spent it all on unnecessary items..
That’s never a good feeling.
It’s never a bad idea to create a budget for yourself and stick to it. It’s also never too early to start saving. The expenses you have today are nothing compared to expenses you’ll have in the future once you want a house and family.
Skip the shopping spree today (nobody needs that many shoes) and put some money away for your future. You will thank yourself later.
Competing with others instead of yourself
Ever heard the quote “the only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday”? Well, it’s true. There is no sense in wasting energy competing with anyone else. If you are focusing on being the best you possible, then nothing can stop you from reaching your goals.
Having regrets instead of learning lessons
If you make a mistake, the best thing you can do is learn from it and let it go. The past is the past. Dwelling on and regretting past mistakes is a whole new mistake. Take whatever lesson you can from everything that happens and work on moving forward no matter what.
Take some time to accept everything that happened in 2015 – good and bad. Now it’s time to push ahead into 2016, be the best you can be and have a successful and exciting new year.
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