When the New Year rolls around, we often think of what’s new. New goals. New opportunities. New chances. New journeys. But when that clock flips to midnight, when those fireworks explode into the cool, dark air, even if we have that refreshing sense of newness, it can sometimes be difficult to move towards and stick with it.

You see, sometimes we get too caught up within the novelty of the new that we forget to leave behind what might hold us back. Sometimes we need to throw something away before we can acquire something new.

We asked you what you’re going to throw away this year and here is some of what was said.

Insecurities.

Doubt.

Silence.

Confusion.

Fear.

There are probably many same and different responses we could come up with. What it shows is what is holding us back from the new. Even if you can’t throw that all away in one shot or with one tick of the clock, let new years be the starting point.

Let it be the first time of many when you say “I can” instead of “I can’t.” Let it be the first step towards positivity and finding whatever it is you need.

Throw away the old, but keep their lessons close as you move forward because there is always a takeaway. All the rest of it though—the negative, the burdens, the pain—throw it away.

Throw it away and work towards something new.