04 Dec What will 21 bring me?

I recently celebrated my 21st birthday, and it felt like a really big milestone. Most birthdays pass easily, the moment is fleeting, and the next day feels like any other, but this time it was different. I woke up the next morning with a full heart, and a full mind; I needed to make sure this feeling never went away. I decided that this year I was going to take responsibility for my own happiness, and in order to do that I needed to make a few promises.

I won’t go into too much detail, because these are promises that I made to myself, and I do not owe them to anybody else. But, I do want to talk about the ones that feel most important to me.

1. To be less bitter

I have spent the last year of my life finding my voice, and developing the strength to know what I deserve and fight to get it. However, in doing that I changed who I was. I became meaner, more aggressive, and less forgiving, and despite the good things that happened to me, I feel like I lost a lot of opportunities because I refused to give them a chance. This year, I want to try and open myself up to everything that comes my way, without making a snap judgement. I hope that I will be able to do this.

2. To read 52 books

I have always been an avid reader, but it is the last year that has opened me up to the world of writing. I have been making a constant effort to write everyday and really develop my skills. For me, an important part of writing, is reading: the more you read, the wilder your mind gets, and the more ideas you have to write about. I am excited to work towards this goal of one book a week, and I think it will put my mind at ease to have some place to escape at the end of a long day.

These are just 2 of the promises that I made to myself for this next year, the rest are just for me.