I am still in the reflecting type of mood and thought it would be a really fun thing to write about all the good that has happened to me this past year. Time flies incredibly fast and I still can't believe it's already 2018. It's bittersweet and I am really happy with how 2017 went. There were a lot of ups and downs, but mostly ups. I want to list 17 things that have happened and won't go into much detail, but maybe this can spark inspiration for all of you to do the same! 

01. I got accepted into my first choice college

02. I went to my senior prom

03. I graduated high school

04. I went to Disney World with my marching band

05. I visited some family friends in Virginia 

I normally like to take January as a time to reflect on the year before and prepare myself for the year to come. Amidst the resolution making and bettering ourselves, I genuinely like starting fresh, even if that means getting down to the nitty-gritty of my life and actually facing and making difficult or hard changes.

Whether that be: actually cleaning up crap that I insist on keeping, finding closure with past relationships, actually worrying about myself for once, setting up goals and maintaining effort, getting rid of toxic friends and people who serve me no good, things that I really shouldn't put myself through this upcoming year. You just get older every year—the more we age, the more we grow. With that, comes great responsibility to tackle things in your life that you maybe don't need or don't even want, but feel forced to hold onto. 

If you know me, then you know how clean and organized I am. That's not all true, though. While the outside might seem clean, the inside can and is most likely a mess (by that, I mean our minds). I recently picked up this book by Marie Kondo, a Japanese organizing consultant and professional, called "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up". Marie calls it the "Konmari" method. A method used to declutter and actually get rid of things that build up in your home and in your life. Instead of "hanging onto things" and just putting them in a bin for later use, she explains that getting rid of them for good is a better way of clearing up junk and things that don't serve any use or purpose in the moment. 

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone seeking help, advice, who love to tidy, or are genuinely interested in what the profession entails. My mom always jokes and says that I should just become a professional tidier, but I still have a lot to learn and my organizing and mental organizing skills could use some more TLC. 

This year I really want to be open to traveling and just going to see new places. There's nothing more refreshing than being somewhere that you have never been before. There are so many places I want to go and see, so hopefully, I will be able to travel more this year. Who knows what you'll see, where you'll go, who you'll meet, etc. As a way to declutter or kick off a new year, going someplace totally foreign to you might be the best medicine. 

We are always looking ahead. Obviously, I have goals for this year and things I want to achieve, but sometimes it gets to the best of us and takes over. I have found that using a weekly planner or just looking at a few days ahead of me, take all the pressure and stress out. I dwell on the past and things that haven't even happened yet. In order for me to actually focus, I have to worry about the present and what I am currently doing. I know that it doesn't work for everyone, but when I look at a month, it kind of overwhelms me. 

Personal health and mental health are very two important things to me. Personal health being just taking care of my body and giving it the right nutrients and exercise it deserves and mental health being my moods and what I'm feeling every day. I try to do so much and fit so many things into my schedule. Sometimes, it's easier to approach each new day and each new task on its own without thinking ahead. It is so beneficial for your health and overall mindset. I have realized that I need to do this way more this year. 

These are just a few ways.I think would be so beneficial to declutter and help refresh going into the new year. I have talked about some goals, but I thought speaking more in-depth about a couple would be a nice way to go about the year ahead. I know a lot of these "New Year" posts get redundant, but time flies, so why not spend a little extra time to re-evaluate and improve?