This year has been possibly the craziest, most eventful, and most changing time of my entire life. I started and finished my first year of college. I ended a toxic relationship. I cried a lot, stressed a lot, laughed a lot. I made new friends, amazing ones at that. And while I also let a few people go, I gained so many more.

I learned that I don't really know who I am yet, but I know who I want to be. Every year I think to myself that this is year that will be perfect because I "have everything figured out", when in all realty, I never have everything figured out. And truth is, I never will. And I've found beauty in that. This means that every single thing I do for the rest of my life will always be a new adventure. I won't ever stop learning, I'll always have something new to think about; something new to learn.

I've realized that just because I may not be beautiful to others sometimes, doesn't mean that I'm not beautiful at all. It's normal to feel insecure sometimes, that feeling won't ever be completely or fully destroyed. So, I take advantage of the times when I feel beautiful in my own skin; when I'm completely confident and every single flaw is my own--no one can copy me completely. I'm individually, perfectly, and one-hundred percent me. And that's something that I'm very proud of this year. I never try to be something that I'm not.

I've also learned that there are some people in your life who are put there only for a temporary time. Not everyone you become close with is someone you need to or have to align yourself with. They're lessons sometimes, unfortunately. Some bad and some good.

I learned that betrayal sucks and trust me, they're right when they say it never comes from your enemies. Otherwise it wouldn't be betrayal.

Sometimes, you just have to let people go. We as humans, at least for me, are constantly wanting to give chances and chances and chances, sometimes until there are absolutely none left. We don't like to give up on people. But letting people go doesn't always mean giving up on them. It means you are strong enough to walk away from something that repeatedly continues to affect you in a negative way.

Because all though it may have been a very trying year, I've accomplished so much. And I'll never forget that.