2016 has been a historical, emotional roller coaster of a year. Through the most turbulent of times is often when we find ourselves the most. Here are a few things 2016 has taught me personally, and I think others have learned this as well.
1. Things are not always as they seem. With the growing use of social media, sometimes we get so wrapped up in what we see people posting. Then we forget that this is not reality. Social media only shows a side of ourselves that we are willing to share with others. Even news articles do not show candid, objective thoughts/facts most of the time. The sooner we realize this, the better our understanding of the world we live in will be.
2. Unity is a must. Obviously, this is way easier said than done. After the emotional presidential election, our nation has seen so much devastating division among the American people. If we do not learn how to come together, it is only going to get worse. <iframe src="//giphy.com/embed/l3vR6X1j6X5xEPdKw" width="480" height="222" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="http://giphy.com/gifs/dj-khaled-nas-album-done-l3vR6X1j6X5xEPdKw">via GIPHY</a></p>
3. Education is so important. Education and the learning process is becoming more and more essential. If we cannot make an educated statement about something we believe in, it is almost pointless. Education is power. Read articles, dig deep on subjects or ideas that interest you, and form an argument. If we do not engage in intellectual conversations, we will never get anywhere.
4. Family is everything. By family, I do not just mean family by blood, marriage, etc. My definition of family is anyone you celebrate successes with and mourn with during difficult times. I have a huge family, and it is always growing. I have a family by blood, a family by choice, and a family at work. I consider anyone I can trust and have no problem sharing things with my family.
5. Kindness is free. I do not know why being kind is not more of a fundamental practice in our world because it is so easy. It is not a lot of work, and it makes people smile. I read somewhere that it takes up to 6 positive comments to make up for a negative one. Isn't that crazy? Make it easy on yourselves and everyone around you, and just be kind the first time and every time after.
7. Stand up for what you believe in. We all have certain core beliefs, and we have to defend them. Secularism and the acceptance of it is what is destroying our nation. We cannot tolerate this. We are responsible for the conditions of our country, so stop kicking back and watching it go up in flames. I challenge everyone, whether you are a Christian, an atheist, scientologist, Buddhist, etc., to stand up and talk about it. Be the change you wish to see in this world. Stop the silence and make things happen.
8. "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love." - 1 Corinthians 13:13
I never realized just how powerful love was until I really got to know Jesus, My Savior. Once I felt that love in my heart, there was no greater feeling. Jesus says in the Bible to take heart because He has overcome the world. Another great quote we can all apply to love comes from Jimi Hendrix. He said, "When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace."
9. It's up to us. I am a millennial, and I am 100% aware of the hardships we are going to face in the future here in America. It is up to Millennials to bring about a positive change and leave a legacy for generations to come. We have to be authentic leaders and lead our country out of crisis.
10. Change isn't always bad. We have to develop the resiliency to handle change, especially in times of crisis. I read a great book by Bill George called True North that talks about using your "true north" to navigate change with integrity for your followers. I would highly recommend reading that. I also heard from an incredible speaker at the University of Memphis, and his name is Jay Myers. He has been through just about every hardship possible since he started his business, but he has developed the resiliency to fight through it. I would read his story, too; his book is called Hitting the Curve Balls.