How To Figure Out What Kind Of Changes You Need To Make In 2017

It is officially 2017, and you're waking up with a new lease on life, right? It is a new year, time to make some profound personal changes.

But take a deep breath and pause for a moment. Do you really have to make THAT many changes? I'm not so sure that the world needs a new you.

You aren't all that bad, you may just have some bad habits, but staying true to who you are may be your best bet.

How do you know if you should focus on a few small bad habits as opposed to make an all out declaration of change? Well that depends on what kind of resolutioner (which really should be a word…) you are.

The Extremist

This type of resolutioner knows they go for the extremes, and gives zero fucks about it. They want to get in better shape for 2017, so their resolution is to hit the gym every day. Go big or go home, right?

Or they want to focus on enjoying life more and working less, so they declare that in 2017 they're going to start their own business and set their own hours. OK, there's nothing wrong with this type of person.

This is just how they approach life. Sure, you are less likely to be able to live up to these extreme resolutions but it isn't impossible.

In fact, extremist resolutioners tend to be extremists in other parts of their lives, so they are quite a fun group of people to be friends with and can be quite successful!

The Realist

This type of resolutioner is me. I want to set aside time to really enjoy my life and stop stressing the small stuff. My resolution, as you can tell, is quite vague.

And it is that way on purpose. I am not hung up on hitting a specific goal because that is not why I made the resolution. I made the resolution so that I can truly try to be happier. I believe (thanks in large part to my mentors and family) that I will be happier if I can just make a few small changes.

Now, the extremist resolutioner probably has the same overall goal of being happier. But they believe that they need to make their goal all encompassing. There's the difference.

Wr realists want to enjoy our lives, or lose weight, etc. but we don't need it to be all or nothing. We will be happy if we hit December 31, 2017 and we can look back on the year and say that we were happier than we were in 2016.

What is my point? My point is that it's 2017 and you can do whatever the hell you want to do. If you want to make an extreme resolution, then make an extreme resolution.

If you just want to try to hit the gym a few more times per month than you have been, then that's fine too. All resolutions are good resolutions because they are made with the intention to better yourself or your life.

Regardless of what type of person you are, though, I think it's important to note that you shouldn't feel as though there needs to be a “new you”.

Unless you're a murderer or a pedophile, I think you're OK. Make the small changes (or the big ones) that you deem fit but remember that you are your own person for a reason.

My only piece of advice for taking on 2017 is to really try to live the life that you want to live. As a realist, I am the first person to acknowledge that sometimes it is easier said than done, but in all honesty if you hate something in your life, at least try to take the first step to change it.

You have 364 more days to reach your end goal. Don't stress it if it takes a little longer than expected.

Don't forget, if you're striving to go in the right direction, then you should always consider your life to be a work in progress.