Happy New Year! Don’t Blow It

So long, 2012. It was nice knowing you, but we?ve got stuff to do.

Whether you chased your dreams, went for that job/girl/wing eating championship or sat in your basement, twiddled your thumbs, and played a whole ton of ?Skyrim? in 2013, what?s done is done. You?ve got a whole new year to seize or let pass by.

There?s really no big difference between December 31, 2012 and January 1, 2013. Sure, you?ve got to hang up a new calendar and start writing /13 on your rent checks, but nothing really changes. It?s more like joining a new school or moving to a new town and starting over. It?s up to you whether you?re going to be the quiet loner, the loudmouth clubhopper, or the blah guy who just drifts by with a blah attitude.

You?ve got another 365 days to live a confident, fulfilling life or one marked by insecurity, self-loathing, and self-doubt. You can approach each day as an opportunity or 24 hours of unavoidable failure and disappointment. In the words of Olmec from Nickelodeon?s Legends of the Hidden Temple: ?the choice is yours and yours alone. Good luck.?
Now?s your chance to stop kicking yourself for things beyond your control, to stop sitting back while life passes you by, to be yourself, to flirt, get fit, have fun, make an impact, and burn all those pictures of your horrible ex-girlfriend.

Part of being a confident, go-getting dude is accessing your situation now and again and making changes to better yourself. The whole New Year?s thing ties in perfectly with that. No guy, no matter how much he seemingly has it together, ever truly has it together. The ones that accomplish their goals and succeed constantly challenge themselves and make changes to get where they want to be. They?re not static, but constantly evolving.

Think about who you want to be in 2013 and be that guy. Think about what you want to accomplish and start taking the appropriate steps to get there. It?s not time to start modeling yourself after David Beckham or Ben Affleck or whatever dude you admire/have a man crush on. That?s counter to the whole spirit of the New Year. No, be proactive and be the best guy you can be, but be yourself.

Do you want to be sitting there on December 31 wearing your sparkly 2014 glasses and kicking yourself for not taking action in 2013? Do you want to be looking around at all of your more successful, satisfied friends in jealousy as you reach for another chipful of guacamole? New Year?s should not only be about the excitement of the oncoming year but a celebration of all you accomplished during the year. Not even a midnight kiss from a supermodel can wipe away a wasted year. Okay, maybe a little.

If you gave your all in 2012, awesome; Rinse and repeat in 2013. If you feel like you could have accomplished more and/or spent less time watching ?American Horror Story? and eating Cheez-Its, suck it up and make 2013 the best year you?ve ever had.

Happy New Year, now don?t blow it. 2014 is a way?s away.