Another 365 days have gone by. A new year has passed and just like any passing chapter many lessons have been learned. Some may have learned they need to focus more on themselves or work harder in school and some may have learned bigger lessons. 2016 was an especially big year for me because it taught me some of the most important lessons of my life. Here they are:

1. You cannot force friendships.

Changing schools after middle school I truly believed that my "best friends" would continue to be who they were. And you're probably thinking to yourself but wasn't that 3 years ago? Yes, but it has taken me till now to realize that your true friends will make an effort to be in your life. You cannot be begging for them to stay in your life because you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. A text saying "I miss you" only means so much. Actions mean so much more than words. You just have to remember the good times and think of them as great memories. Life will go on without them and it will suck for a while but it is just another chapter that is closing and another will open. Don't force anything.

2. Do NOT take your grandparents for granted.

In December, my grandfather passed away and there are so many things that I wish I did or said. You never know when someone you love will be taken away from you. You do not to regret not doing or not saying something so live your life to the fullest do not hold back. Always give your grandparents a hug, say I love you, and make as many memories with them as you can.

3. You are your first priority.

Many people tend to forget this. Everyone is so set on impressing others, losing hours of sleep to finish that last minute assignment or putting a fake smile on your face because someone else is "going through something worse than you". You are the most important thing. You need to think about you before anything else. That is not being selfish. Sometimes you need to take a mental health day and hey maybe take a few. It is not a bad thing. If it will make yourself feel better or get you together, then do it. And always remember that you do not compare your problems to others. It does not matter if your problem seems less than yours. It is your problem which is enough. What your going through matters and it should not be pushed aside because you think it isn't important enough.

4. There is a difference between loving someone and loving the attention they give you.

This is extremely important. Girls are so into getting that perfect guy to like them that they forget what the difference is between loving someone and loving the attention they give you. If you are constantly looking for a boy and one seems to give you a lot of attention it is so easy to claim you really like him. Don't get me wrong, a lot of the time it does work out but it is easy to just like the attention. Be careful and look for someone who genuinely likes you not just gives you the attention you want.

5. You will disappoint people along the way and that is OK.

In today's generation, it is tough to try to impress everyone. You want to get the A on the paper to impress your teacher or you want to get that varsity spot to impress your parents. Life is full of making mistakes and disappointing people. Life is not perfect and the sooner you realize that the better life will be. It is OK to disappoint people. Sometimes you need to do what is best for you and that sometimes means letting people down. But again, it's life and life will go on and the people will get over it.