With a new year comes the chance to start things over. In general we like to look at January as a fresh start. We cheer to a new us despite generally not changing anything. We pay lip service to social media to garner attention and likes for accountability. Perhaps people believe that by telling everyone about their goals that someone will hold them responsible or they are more likely to hold themselves accountable for completing them. Studies even go as far to show us that telling everyone makes it LESS likely for you to complete them.

And now to be a massive hypocrite.

Every year I try to set some goals and resolutions for myself in Magic and I'd like to talk about some of the ones I will try to work on and most likely forget about a couple months in.

1. Win an Open

This can seem like a lofty goal but I've shown in the past that I have the tools and ability needed to win an Open. I have a great team, Nova, behind me and with smart people involved and Standard being an important factor for the next year I feel confident in my ability to win an Open. I'd also really like to win my fourth Open (preferably in Modern so I have the complete set of Team, Standard, Modern, and Legacy.).

When it comes to Standard I feel great about my ability to perform and build a deck primed for the weekend, especially in the first few weeks. I'm not a deck tuner though and that's where having the team will come into play the heaviest. Having several people be able to go through deck lists with you means it is more likely that someone will be able to see more options for card choices and make the deck look great.

2. Qualify for the Player's Championship

This one I don't feel as confident about. I've made the Player's Championship before and did so the only year I actively tried to do so. I think I have the tools to achieve this goal but next year is going to be very tough. With all the new announcements made by WOTC regarding the changes for Mythic Championships and the new Grand Prixs it's likely that players who were on the edge of trying to grind those out for Pro Points will head over to the SCG Circuit to try and grind out for the Championship.

I also know quite a few people who would love to make a run. Brad Carpenter (Team Nova Streamer!) is going to be making a return to the open series as well! This means the competition is going to be TOUGH moving forward for next year but also a welcome change. I love a good story line and having several teams on the SCG Tour flanked by quite a few good players is going to probably create the closest year for the Player's Championship race ever.

3. Be a good teammate

Being part of a team this year means that it's even more vital to be able to get along and work well with others. A long time ago I used to get insanely jealous of my friends' successes and would secretly hope they didn't do well or they would lose an important match. This was amplified when I wasn't doing well. The last few years I've broken that and try to be genuinely thrilled for my friends success. I hope I'll also be able to continue that for my team this year.

I want Team Nova, regardless of what happens to the team, to be happy with working with me. Being able to support them and help them grow will be something that in turn can help me grow as well.

Having a larger team can look daunting but everyone has really gotten along pretty well so I'm looking forward to working with everyone.

4. Have more fun playing Magic

I go through spurts where I really enjoy playing Magic and times where I would rather do anything else. I think a lot of that has to do with putting pressure on myself to do well and perform and if I don't there's tons of negative feelings surrounding the experience. This year my goal is to focus on trying to have a better time at events. Not only do I get to travel to all sorts of great locations, I get to do so with some of my best friends. Emotionally the last few years have not been kind to me and I think that might have a bit to do with it. Now that I'm finally in a place where I'm starting to not be so depressed I'm going to really start exploring my happiness and try to have a good time playing a great game on the SCG Tour with a team by my side on the path to the Player's Championship.

5. Be a better person

I've worked really hard to be a better person. I certainly don't have the best reputation in the world and I would say that maybe several years ago I was even a bad person. Over the last couple of years I've worked hard to become better in every way. I've made great strides and this year I want to continue on that road I've laid out for myself.

Being better than you were isn't easy. More often than not it's quite difficult to be able to see the things you've done wrong. Most of the time we're too caught up in ourselves to realize that something we're doing may be negative or toxic to ourselves and those around us. Sometimes it takes a situation or a conversation with someone to realize. Despite all the social media and easy access we have to talk to anyone in the world it often feels like people are talking less and less. Communication has always been a human issue that has plagued society and I think the internet helps us feel completely disconnected from human emotion.

I'd like to try and use this year to create stronger bonds with the friends I do have and overall continue the work I've done on being a better person.