We all have those moments when we think to ourselves "why couldn't I have known that sooner" or "I should've done this instead of that" but everything happens for a reason (sorry for the cliche') and instead of being angry about our past decisions, let's just learn from them! So, here's a list of what I've learned from me thinking back to those "shoulda coulda woulda" moments......
1. You DO NOT have to know someone for years for them to be considered your best friend
Years of knowing someone isn't a measurement of how good a friend they can be. They don't have to be a "family friend" and you don't need to have pictures together as babies in order for them to be a good person. I learned this going into college and being in a sorority, and I can honestly say a lot of the people I call my best friends, I met not even four months ago.
2. "You don't realize what you have until it's gone" is the truest statement ever
If you're from Louisiana, you probably know I'm about to focus this point on "the great flood of 2016". I'm most likely speaking for the majority of us when I say this flood was the most unexpected thing. I never would've thought at some point in my life I would be rushing to pack all my belongings as water pushed me out of my house and later on having to rebuild my home. I'll admit, I took for granted what I thought were small things such as my bed, my dresser, my own bathroom, all the clothes I threw to the side while I angrily said: "I have nothing to wear." I wish I would've known to appreciate even the smallest of things because losing any of your belongings (big or small) makes a huge impact on your life.
3. Just because you think it's for the best, doesn't always mean it is
Stop forcing that relationship to happen, if it hasn't happened by now just relax and let life work itself out. Forcing something to happen only takes away from the beauty of fate and letting things come together in their own way. There's a quote that says "some people are meant to fall in love with each other, but not meant to be together." It's easy to fall in love, but it's hard to maintain that love when it's not the right person. Sit back, enjoy life, and let love come to you.
4. Never go against your gut feeling
Just because someone says "trust me" or "I promise it'll be okay" or "it'll never happen again" doesn't mean your gut feeling that's telling you the opposite goes away. There's a reason you don't feel good about what you're doing, who you're associating with, or who you're trusting- SO, LISTEN TO THAT FEELING! There are countless times I've had a bad feeling about something, I ignore it, and in the end, I'm the one suffering. It's hard when your head and your heart are fighting each other, but when you can feel how wrong something is, that's when you need to stop doubting yourself and LISTEN.
5. Depend on yourself, not others
This is probably the most important thing I learned in 2016. When you depend on others for your own happiness, you find that nine times out of ten you're not as happy as you want to be. People tend to make the mistake of letting their feelings be influenced by others- whether it's happy, sad, mad, etc. In my opinion, in order to be genuinely content with yourself and your life, you have to find yourself. Start worrying about yourself more than others (so what if it sounds selfish, it feels great). Wake up, look in the mirror, and say "what can I do to make myself happy today" because how do you expect to make others happy if you're not?
6. Those who mind, don't matter
This doesn't mean if you're doing something wrong and your friends/family don't like it you should just shrug them off your shoulder. This means you shouldn't have to beg people to want to stay in your life, they should just want to (if they like you enough of course). The people in your life should accept you for who you are and even want to help you be the best version of yourself. Please don't waste your time holding on to someone for dear life who couldn't make it more obvious they want nothing to do with you. Move on and find what you know you deserve!
7. There are different ways to say "I love you"
"I love you" isn't just said, it's shown: "put your seatbelt on", "drive safe, let me know when you make it there", "I got some extra food in case you were hungry" (that one's my personal favorite). More times than not we overlook all these versions. Pay attention to the ones that care; just because they aren't screaming "I love you" every hour doesn't actually mean they don't love you. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS!!!
8. You CANNOT make everyone happy
While this is true, this doesn't mean you can't make yourself happy! No matter what you do, someone is always going to find something wrong with it so you might as well do whatever it is that puts a smile on your face. Trying to make everyone happy is the biggest waste of time; that being said, it's awesome to make people happy and it feels great, but there's always that one person. Embrace who you are and what you like and be the happiest you can be (just let that one person sit back and watch and learn).
Hopefully, these points will bring some of you to a couple realizations, and if not I hope it was fun to read! This was my first article so I really hope you all liked it :)
