A New Year - What Does It Really Mean?

It's 2017. A new year. Time to lose weight. Make more "me" time. Volunteer somewhere. Whatever your resolution may be. One of my friends is trying to be more positive and stay away from negativity. Personally, I don't make resolutions. What's the point? I'll break them anyway and then will be mad at myself. Be disappointed in myself. I have enough disappointment as it is. Online dating is a crappy way to meet people but seems to be the way to meet people these days. Good luck. I've been single for about six months now. I'm taking a break from online dating though. I can't handle all the sex fiends or guys who hold money and feel energy from it or who think GMOs will kill us all and that people are dying because other people only care about money. You wonder why some people are still single. Paranoid rants are just so unattractive. Try to find a job? Good luck if you're a millennial. For all the jobs out there, a high percentage of them are part time. There is no stability. There are no benefits or retirement plans. Debt adds up. Good luck saving through an RRSP. Two jobs are becoming the norm. A university degree is a piece of paper with no guarantee. Owning a house? That's a sweet sweet fantasy, isn't it, Mariah? The CBC recently did a segement about millennials and how they face three tough challenges in 2017's economy: precarious work, high home prices, and questions of whether retirement will ever be a reality (http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/under-35-you-face-at-least-3-tough-challenges-in-the-2017-economy-1.3921393). Young people like Samantha Louise Emery who lives in Calgary works a full time and part time job to make ends meet. "I'm just working all the time," she said (http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/under-35-you-face-at-least-3-tough-challenges-in-the-2017-economy-1.3921393). I feel her pain. I'm working two jobs: office contracts through an agency and part time at a call centre. I work with a woman who works three jobs and lives alone with her dog. She still doesn't make a lot especially since most of her jobs are around the minimum wage dollar mark. Home ownership? Good luck with that. If you want it of course. Personally, I'm a minimalist and have never aspired to own a house. What would I put in it? Stuff that that I don't need? For many millennials, one of the most daunting expenses is the down payment. A BMO survey found that "65 per cent said that they would have to rely on parents or other family members for help with as much as 10 per cent of the purchase price"(http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/under-35-you-face-at-least-3-tough-challenges-in-the-2017-economy-1.3921393). Retirement is another major concern. TD Bank found that more than half of millennials surveyed "would like to retire by the time they turn 60, but only a quarter think that's a realistic possibility. Most expect to have to work in their 60s or their 70" (http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/under-35-you-face-at-least-3-tough-challenges-in-the-2017-economy-1.3921393). I definitely see myself working into my 70s. If I don't end up homeless, I consider myself ahead of the game. Of course, the age of retirement is questionable and depends on if millennials can even afford to put money into an RRSP. Emery said, "I was paying into RRSPs before, automatically off my paycheques, but I decided to stop that because I needed the extra money for my bills and everything"(http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/under-35-you-face-at-least-3-tough-challenges-in-the-2017-economy-1.3921393). My Dad helps me out with this area, which I am grateful for. I also had some money saved from a previous job's RRSP, which went into my personal one. Other than that, I'm just struggling to pay my rent, bills, and afford groceries. Some months are better than others. Thank God for the Food Bank and loving friends and family. What do I hope for in 2017? Finding a full time office job and maybe getting back into publishing articles is paramount. Working two jobs is difficult, and I sometimes fear burn out. Meeting a good guy who is not commitment phobic and is emotionally available for a relationship would be awesome as would having strong and healthy relationships with my family and friends. I will try to stay away from negative people who criticize and bring me down. Hopefully I will lose some weight. More importantly, hopefully I will learn to love and forgive myself too. That would be a good thing. P.S. While at a friend's for dinner one day, I noticed an anonymous quote scribbled on her bulletin board that has stuck with me to this day: "Nothing will ruin your 30s more than thinking you should have your life together already." Let's try to remember that, my fellow millennials!