Hello 2014!

When older people say to you, "the years fly by as you get older!", I assure you this: they are not lying. 2013 was without a doubt the fastest year of my life to date. Another January is upon us, and time already seems to be flying. So what better way to say hello to 2014 is there than to say goodbye to the previous with a condensed paragraph of reflection?

2013 was infinitely better than 2012 for me. 2012 was a dark year in my life. It was doomed to oblivion from the very first week, so last year really didn't need to do much to be considered an improvement. The first few months weren't great, though. I was on anti-depressants, a decision I had made the previous November. With the medication came some nasty side effects which slowed me down quite a lot. But with the appropriate distractions, I made significant progress. January was filled with preparation for the school show, and February followed with the production itself. A change of image came in tow for me as I finally gave in and became a brunette. March brought the wonder of McFly once again, and the realisation of A-levels began to dawn on me. April and May brought the same old same old and June brought an explosion of awesome. I came off my anti-depressants, and aside from a few little blips through the year, never really felt like I needed them again. Secondary school: complete. Exams: complete. I turned 18 and celebrated in style, with a good three weeks of non-stop action and partying. A fantastic holiday to Malia with the best friends I could ask for was July's gift August brought the dreaded A-level results day, and the huge sigh of relief as I sailed into Swansea University. October saw me really settle into student life, and one of the best Halloweens I will ever see. November gave me the Catching Fire I so desperately desired and definitely did not disappoint. It also brought another little experience I'm not likely to forget. And we rounded off in December with another Christmas and of course, another epic New Year's Eve. Over all, a pretty darn good effort.

I now welcome 2014 with open arms, and intend to enjoy as many days as I possibly can as a human being. That is, of course, after the dreaded exams are over mid-January. But to get the most out of my year, I want to set some targets. There is very little point in me making set-in-stone "New Years Resolutions" because ten times out of ten, they will be ignored entirely. So I have decided to pick some things I would like to do. If I stick to them, awesome. If I don't, well it's really not going to be the end of the world.

Blogging: The world is absolutely full of stuff. Good stuff, bad stuff, controversial stuff, revolutionary stuff, everyday boring stuff. With everything around me, I'm sure I can find something to blog about at least once a month. So that's what I'm going to try to do. 12 blogs - surely I can manage that?!

Living: I really need to start living more. I waste so much time. A friend and I have a mini bucket list. What's on the list is expensive, but I am determined to do at least one of them this year. I want to have more fun, and if the people around me don't share this sentiment, I'll just find someone else who does. I don't want to sit around any more. I probably will, but I don't want to. So living more has made this list.

Image: What I need to do is to find a way to be happy with how I look. There are two ways to do this: I can change myself physically until I am happy, or I can change my mentality to embrace what I am. Now, I am not a particularly motivated person (and that really is an understatement; I am closer to a sloth than a human), so the first option may be a struggle. But it isn't impossible. In an ideal world, I would like to combine the two. But who knows.

Positivity: Over the last two years, I have experienced many lows. And now that I'm back up to where I need to be, I want more than anything to stay there. Of course there are going to be fluctuations and there are going to be bad days, but I want to be able to climb back up. But if for whatever reason I find myself unable to get back up myself, I make this promise to myself now: I will find help and I will find a way. 

So that's what I have as a vague plan for the next 12 months. But it's just a plan, and anything could happen. I want something to surprise me this year. I want a huge curve ball to appear, to shake the boat a little. It'll keep things interesting. But who knows? What I do know is that I am so ready.