I’ve always gone back and forth about New Year’s resolutions. I’m all about embracing a fresh start to better myself and focus on areas of my life that could use improvement.

But, like many wishful thinkers, I often forget about these goals by the time February rolls around, no matter how ambitious they were in the first place. This year, however, feels more significant. 

2020 is the start of a new decade. Alongside fellow seniors, I  am starting it off with a bang by graduating from college, which means diving head first into adulthood. Not at all daunting. I’ve been dreadfully awaiting 2020 since freshman year, when I realized how special these four years are and how quickly they fly by. 

I feel lucky to have been one of the people that realizes the good ol’ days before I’ve left them, to reference Andrew Bernard from “The Office.” But doing so didn’t make time go any slower, and somehow I’m a second semester senior who’s been purposefully putting off ordering her cap and gown. 

With the start of a new decade comes the question of where I see myself 10 years from now, which I can’t even begin to fathom. Even though it’s 2020, I do not have 20/20 vision to clearly see what my future holds (c’mon I had to throw a pun in somewhere).

But as I discussed in a previous column, I’ve learned to be okay with uncertainty. I have no idea how this year will play out, let alone the next 10 years, and I’m fairly at peace with that.

 That being said, I took the start of this new year as a chance to pause and consider what I hope to experience and gain in the coming years, as well as what matters most in my life.

By no means do I have a strict timeline about how I want my 20s to play out, but there’s no harm in setting some goals to positively shape my future. To do so, I’ve been brainstorming personal goals for this year that will hopefully lead me down my desired path.

What I know about this year is that I’ll be spending the first six months of 2020 making the most of my last semester of college. The latter half will be a complete 180, as I start navigating the quote-unquote “real world” with a new sense of independence. 

Taking that into consideration, I’ve thought deeply about what has made the past four years at John Carroll so special, both academically and personally, and what I want to remember and continue holding onto after I graduate.

But, I’ve also considered what I haven’t had a chance to focus on or take advantage of, since college has consumed me with academics and activities — to help me become a better version of myself, of course. 

Now, as I prepare to face a new chapter, I’m excited to start envisioning what I hope to experience and achieve. Soon, life will be completely on my own terms, which is equally liberating and terrifying. 

If you’re like me and have avoided seriously thinking about the future ahead, remember that it’s okay to feel anxious or overwhelmed.

Setting goals and aspirations, big or small, doesn’t have to come with a sense of commitment or pressure because there’s no way of controlling what life has in store for you.

We’re constantly discovering new things and growing every day. So here’s to one last semester of doing just that and seeing what’s waiting for us in 2020.