This dumpster fire of a year is finally over.

When I dubbed 2017 the “Year of New Beginnings”, I had a lot of changes planned, some of which I implemented and others which I didn’t get around to. So now, on the last day of the year, I am yet again sitting here, wishing I’d done better. It’s not actually the beginnings that were the problem. Starting new things is all well and good, but doesn’t actually get you anywhere unless you finish up some old things, too, and there’s the rub, as they say.

Yet again, I vow to do better next year. That said, I’ve decided against dubbing 2018 the “Year of Finishing Old Things”, or whatever you want to call it. Instead, I’m going for something a little broader. Another contestant for this coming year’s theme was going to be “Appreciation”. I was going to spend 2018 appreciating the little things more, being more mindful of and grateful for the things I have, and showing the people in my life how much I care about them. That’s not what I need right now, though. I need to focus less on other people, and more on myself. So without further ado: My theme for 2018 is “Hard Work”.

This applies to all areas of my life: work, obviously — I want to show the people who hired me that they made the right choice, that they want and need me, even in the long run. Then there’s university, of course, where I need to work hard in both of my degrees; to finish the first and make a good dent in the second. I also want and need to work hard on my health, including regular gym sessions. But “Hard Work” also applies to my mental health and my personality. Therefore, I’m not throwing out the idea of being more mindful and grateful, on the contrary: I’m going to integrate both of these into my daily routines, with the hope that I will learn to be a better person, but not necessarily with regard to others. This will be for me alone.

So there it is: 2018 — Year of Hard Work. Bring it on.