Kiss 2013 goodbye. Be proud of the progress you made in the past year, but open your arms wide to give a big welcoming hug to 2014.

No pressure, but you have less than a month to come up with your New Year’s Resolution.

What do you want to change in the year ahead?

Perhaps you want to be healthier, more involved on campus, study harder, meet more people, or even change our world for the better.

The start of the New Year is the most exciting time to change your life for the better and pursue a beneficial goal.

In years past, I’ve promised myself that I’d make efforts to lose weight, only say nice things, or be a better student.

I’ve tried hard to achieve each of those goals, but this year I think our resolutions should benefit more than just us.

Although I wish that we didn’t wait until Jan. 1 to improve our lives, maybe it’s just a good day to start something new.

“If there is something to be changed, shifted, or altered, then we should be starting right now,” said writer Hannah Brencher.

Don’t wait until it’s too late.

“Ain’t nobody got time to wait for (Jan.) 1.,” Brencher said. “The gun just went off. I am going.”

I recently realized how little time we have to make the most of our lives when I heard of the tragic sudden death of actor and producer Paul Walker.

Walker was just 40 years old when he was killed in a car accident last week. He left behind a daughter, a promising career and his charity, Reach out Worldwide (ROWW).

“ROWW operates on the philosophy that by making a difference in just one person’s life, the world has been changed for the better,” according to its webpage.

This nonprofit, which is comprised of volunteers, provides skilled resources in post-disaster situations.

Walker gave back to the world after he was blessed with so much due to the success of his ‘Fast and Furious’ films. Perhaps this will be the year when we give back too.

We need to do as much as we can to touch as many hearts as we can, because as we all recently learned too quickly, our lives are quite precious and sadly temporary.

Maybe you can volunteer to help out at the Buffalo City Mission during the holidays, or donate some of your belongings to the Goodwill before you receive more presents. Make an effort to give back.

I’ll miss you all for the next month and a half, but I look forward to seeing all of you as newly improved college students in the New Year, sticking to your resolutions.

And if you seem to start slipping from your new goals, I will be here to help.

As Brencher said, “I love a good team effort.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @LiveWithColly