Everyone is looking for a clean slate.

Even if you’re not the type that has made the kind of mistakes that lead you to wake up in a trailer park in Creep County, face down in a kiddie pool and sporting a hotdog costume, you’ve done or experienced something that has made you ready to call it quits and bury 2013.

Preferably in a body bag at the bottom of the bayou where no one can find those embarrassing pictures of you from the Christmas party.

Who would have thought the cops wouldn’t find your live reenactment of the Grinch as amusing as your friends did when they caught you stealing your neighbors Christmas tree, Who-pudding and rare Who-roast-beast?

A clean slate is definitely a must. However, many people confuse a fresh start with trying to change who they are.

For example, last year I made the resolution to party more and make more friends. Not because I actually wanted to, but because I felt like that was what I should be doing as a college student.

After a few attempts to spend an evening that turned in to early morning at clubs and bars, I realized that wasn’t who I was.

I’m far too cynical and nerdy to be interested in tabletop dancing, and it took a few strange nightlife experiences for me to realize I was trying to be something I wasn’t.

New Year isn’t for changing who you are.  It’s for putting your wrongs and mistakes behind you and becoming a better you that won’t make those wrongs and mistakes again. Even if you are one of those “third time’s the charm” kind of people.

That’s not to say setting weight loss goals or trying to quit smoking are bad resolutions to make. Considering you’re about three puffs away from being the star of one of those Center for Disease Control and Prevention commercials, it’s actually rather necessary.

Those kinds of resolutions are healthy changes that are a step toward becoming a better you.

But, that is the key. You can make any change or improvement you choose, but it means nothing if it isn’t for you.

Sure, quitting smoking is better for your kids and losing weight would make your family proud, but at the end of the day it all has to be for you.

Regardless of the date on the calendar, changes are only as sustainable as you are motivated.

Your life improvements are no one’s priority but yours. Relying on others, no matter who they are,  to care enough to push you because you’re not willing to push yourself isn’t exactly the best way to start making life-altering changes,

No, I’m not saying your mother doesn’t care if you’re fat or that your wife won’t help you put the bottle down. I’m saying your mother has diabetes and your wife has a time management problem in the workplace.

They have their own challenges to prioritize and work through, so if you aren’t taking the time and effort to put yourself first, who is?

And what procrastination champ decided people should wait until the first of the year to do something for themselves anyway?

As far as I can tell, making a resolution on the first of the year doesn’t solidify your chances of success any more than making the same resolution on the last of the year.

Take responsibility for yourself on any day, not necessarily to change who you are, but to become a better person.

Sure, a clean slate is nice and a new year feels like a new beginning, but there are some things that really can’t wait.