Each December of my adolescence and for years of my adulthood, I meticulously crafted a long list of New Year’s resolutions. Each year I had no less than ten resolutions, some of which were quite attainable while others were, dare I say, a little lofty. The year I resolved to lose weight I dropped forty pounds, but I have now passed the age at which I was to make ‘Editor’ at Vanity Fair and I still do not own a sloth.

Generally speaking, my resolutions held strong each year until the middle-ish of January when old habits and desires reclaimed their rightful existence in my life. As I got older, I realized that failure to achieve many of these resolutions in a fairly abrupt time-frame caused me depression, self-doubt, guilt, shame, disappointment and low self-esteem.

Yet I value tradition and appreciate the internal incentive for change that corresponds with the discernable passage of time. Last year I decided to keep my resolutions stupidly simple in lieu of abandoning the custom altogether. For 2016, I modestly resolved to wear more high heels, listen to more Black Sabbath and drink the same amount of bourbon.

Today, as 2017 hovers tantalizingly in the very near distance, I am forced to admit that I did not achieve a single one of my stupidly simple 2016 resolutions. I did not wear more high heels. In fact, I recently purchased two pairs of delightful, adorable and very flat moccasins. I did not listen to more Black Sabbath, even as it’s entire anthology of albums sat dustily on my vinyl shelf. And I did not drink the same amount of bourbon. I drank much more.

But instead of self-doubt, lowered self-esteem and feelings of failure, sadness, disappointment, guilt and shame, I simply resolve to stop resolving in 2017.

I accept myself for who I am right in this very moment. I acknowledge that although I am imperfect, I am worthy and good, valuable and important, appreciated, respected and loved. I am not without goals for self-improvement but my desire for evolution is omnipresent and unending. I acknowledge that I will not grow, develop or advance if I do not accept and love the self that I already am. As I sit and as I write, I am enough. Right as I am, right in this moment, I am enough.

Accept yourself for who you are, right in this very moment. Acknowledge that although you are imperfect, you are worthy and good, valuable and important, appreciated, respected and loved. You are not without goals for self-improvement, but your desire for evolution is omnipresent and unending. Acknowledge that you will not grow, develop or advance if you do not accept and love the self that you already are. As you sit and as you read, you are enough. Right as you are, right in this moment, you are enough.

And don’t you fucking forget it. Cheers- to me, to you, and to 2017.