Read This If You Have No Idea Where Your Life Will Take You In 2017 (And You’re Totally Freaking Out)

Let’s be honest, 2016 was not the greatest year of all time (for a lot of reasons). But, in a few weeks, it will be 2017, a new year to be better, do better, and a new opportunity to lean more about ourselves. But, with talk of the new year, comes incredible anxiety from built up expectations. 

What if you don’t know what your goals are? What if you don’t know where you want to go or what you want to do? What if you want something in your life to change, but you don’t know exactly what it is yet?

Ok, breathe.

I realize that with a new year comes new expectations, new goals, new boxes to check off of your bucket list, and more things to check off your career accomplishments. But the truth is, you don’t have to stress yourself out about this. You don’t have to freak the fuck out about not reaching a goal ‘on time’, or not completing things that your peers have completed.

A new year is a ‘new year’, yes. But it’s also just another day. Another 12 hours. Another 1,440 minutes. So, while many are promising themselves to turn everything around this year, why not just look forward to the future, and focus on the now. 

In reality, all anyone can ask of you is to just do your best.

You don’t have to get a boyfriend this year. You don’t have to change your entire life just because it’s a new year. You don’t have to work out like everyone and their mother has vowed to do this year. You don’t have to have these huge travel plans for 2017 or have this big dream of moving to a brighter and better city.

You don’t have to know where you’re going. You don’t have to have a plan. You don’t have to have a to-do list already set in motion.

All that you can do right now to better yourself, is to focus on what’s happening on the inside. Work on what makes you happy, instead of what gives you money. Work on rehashing great friendships instead of trying to repair already broken ones. Work on rebuilding yourself from the ground up, and focus on what you need right now.

You don’t have to think about what’s next. You don’t have to think about tomorrow, or the next month, or the next year. Focus on yourself now, and the rest of that stuff will follow in return. 

Start with loving yourself, and making others around you feel loved. Start with the now and focus on what’s next when the time is right. And you know what the best part about this is? You don’t have to start on January 1st, you can start right now.