As the new year approaches, something seems to awaken within us. We feel a motivation to do something—to make a change—to right the wrongs of our past year. We pull out a sheet of paper and scribble down all the mistakes we made and all the ways we are going to do better.

Sometimes, we pull out that same list from the year before and look back at all the of the unrealistic promises we broke. We were supposed to exercise and stop eating fast food…

We didn’t.

So we make a new list with the same inflated promises. Gym six days a week! No Taco Bell!

We’ll be better this year. We’ll be different!

Except—what if we’re not? Would that really be so bad?

While self-reflection is an important part of growth, I think we sell ourselves short sometimes.

Toss your list to the side for a second and think about all the things you did accomplish this year. Scroll through your camera roll to aid your memory. Even if you didn’t fulfill all of your resolutions, I bet you did some things you didn’t realize you were capable of handling. And that’s badass.

What if, instead of tearing yourself down, you channeled all of your new-year energy into being as badass as you were this year?

When you are finished writing out your list of resolutions for the new year, hang it up next to a list of your achievements from this past year to remind yourself what you are capable of accomplishing! You are already awesome.

What are your proudest achievements of this year? Share them with us in the comments below. Seriously, we are giving you permission to brag! You deserve to be proud!