I have created New Year’s Resolutions for myself ever since I was a kid. Read more. Run around the block five times. Make your bed every morning. Greet a new person every day. Get a 100 on every test…

They have also been very funny, and almost concerning at times, as I actually thought that I could marry Harry Styles by the end of 2016. Over the years, many have argued that proclaiming these resolutions at 11:59 PM on December 31st is pointless. According to author Geoff Blades, “Nearly all resolutions fail because they were only aspirations to begin with.” But that’s the beauty of aspirations. As the year progresses, they become goals. And once the year comes to a close, the goals slowly become reality. That’s what welcoming a new year is all about.

New Year’s Resolutions are the start of something. Most of these proclamations are extremely far-fetched. It’s very unlikely that I’ll ever marry Harry Styles. It’s very unlikely that I’ll ever become an actress. But after many years of proclaiming these resolutions, one of them finally came true… sort of.

My New Year’s Resolution last year was to write more handwritten letters. It started off as a simple letter writing ritual to a few of my relatives. Then, over time, I started to write letters to many of my friends. Overall, writing these letters helped me become a better writer and a much more insightful person. It’s really given me a leg up in school and as a writer for Kaleidoscope. A simple task like writing more letters or drinking more water can turn into something very meaningful. I don’t think New Year’s Resolutions are pointless. If anything, they give us something to build off of when entering the new year.