I hope that you aren’t upset at yourself for already messing up a 2016 resolution, or for not upholding any of the resolutions you made for last year, or the years before that.

I think resolutions are an awesome idea, and they can be a really helpful push into the new year — especially if you have made them out loud so others can hold you accountable or you have written them down to help you stay focused.

I prefer to keep my resolutions to myself or in a private journal so that it doesn’t feel so public if I screw up or stray from my goals. The process of fulfilling a resolution is a journey and it’s difficult, and that’s why a lot of people change their minds. It’s hard to be thinner, healthier, more focused, more diligent, etc.

One of the reasons the above are difficult to achieve based off a New Year’s resolution is because eventually, the fact that you promised yourself you would do this back in January isn’t reason enough. You can only get so far until in order to keep going, you must find a stronger reason deep down. Why does this resolution matter to you? What has striving for it taught you so far? What do you stand to gain if you were to keep going all the way until next January (or even longer)?

It might sound silly to ask yourself these questions when the going gets rough, but I think giving up on your goals and resolutions just because you feel a little off track sounds even sillier. All I’m saying is find your reason, find the joy in whatever journey you choose to take in this new year and make the best of it. My sincere hope for you this year is that you reach places you never thought you could and you make memories that will last through lifetimes.

And, somewhere within the resolution-making, don’t forget to resolve to to be free from the expectations, the templates, the norms, the rules and all the other bullsh*t that is the root of all heartache in today’s society.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be my blog if I didn’t tell you this, which I hope you listen to more than anything on this post: Resolve to love yourself. Resolve to love every strong, weak, wayward, hopeful, childish, brilliant, scared, wondrous piece of you. Be something incredible, because at the end of each day, you are all you can count on to get through.

Collegian Blogger Haleigh McGill can be reached online at haleigh.mcgill@hotmail.com.