2017 was a weird and confusing year that I didn't think would be one for the books, but after looking back on the past almost 365 days of the year, I realized there were a bunch of hidden little lessons to take away from this "uneventful" year.
1. It’s okay to be alone
I know at times it can be scary, but it’s a very empowering feeling to not rely on the company of others for everything and finally be able to be a productive human by yourself. Whether it be going to a movie that you really want to see or taking a walk, you can learn a lot about yourself that you didn’t know before when you’re alone.
2. Just try your best
It’s all anyone can ever ask of you and it’s not worth beating yourself up if you didn’t achieve what you thought you would. You can’t go on throughout your life measuring your success right next to the success of others. We all grow in different ways and have something very different to offer the world. If it’s meant to be, it will eventually happen as long as you keep trying your best.
3. Take care of yourself too
It’s so easy to put the people you love before yourself especially when you’re constantly trying to distract yourself from all the problems and confusion in your own life. Being selfless is never a bad thing, but it’s also not a bad thing to make room for yourself once and a while. Working on your problems little by little, along with filling yourself up with the lives of others is a lot better than keeping everything bottled up inside all of the time.
4. Do more of what you love
if you look around at what you’re doing right now, chances are there’s at least a couple things you have to do even if you don’t want to. In order to minimize the negativity of these things, remember the things that make you happy, even if they’re only temporary, and fill up your spare time with more of these amorous excursions.
5. Change is hard
It’s okay to admit things aren’t what you expected them to be even if it was something you looked forward to doing for a long time. Sometimes the way we see experiences and events portrayed in movies and books aren’t exactly going to happen the same way in reality.
Changing the place you live or even a certain way you used to be is going to be hard in one way or another and not everything is going to work the way we always want it to. Change isn’t an instant experience- it’s something we learn to adapt to along the way.
6. It’s okay to miss home
Even if home and the area you live in are something you’ve tried to escape your whole life, it’s okay to reflect on all the memories you’ve made with the people you love from an earlier point in your life. Remembering where you came from and having a place and people to turn to when you feel lost isn’t something to be ashamed of, but cherished rather.
7. Embrace yourself
The way you do things might be a lot different than the way someone else you respect does things, but that never means you should second guess yourself. We all look up to certain people in our lives and may seek their advice when we need help, but it’s okay to not want to take the advice we receive if it doesn’t feel right. Some of us are optimists, pessimists, realists, and everything in between- so it’s okay to be the way you want and not change to fit the ideals of others.
8. Keep your goals in sight
Sometimes it’s so hard to be productive and do the things that people used to praise you for being good at, especially when you don’t feel much like yourself anymore. Although all of the pieces might not be there right now, it never hurts to remind yourself of what you love to do and what you want to make out of yourself in the future, even if the future might seem far away.
9. Cherish your friends and family
Spend all of the time you can with your family who might be a little too embarrassing and your friends who might annoy you a little too much, because life doesn’t stop for anybody. Sooner or later the moments you made in the past and even the ones you’re making right now will be all that you have when the future is unpredictable.
10. This too shall pass
Pain, especially emotional pain we may experience from sadness, guilt, anxiousness, etc. is always going to hurt like hell in the moment we receive it and plenty of time after. Some bad experiences are harder to shake off than others, but in the same way we realize that all good things must usually come to an end, with time, all bad things shall pass too.