2018 was a ride. That's for sure. Personally, it was the craziest, most difficult, eye-opening year of my life. So much has changed for me in such a short amount of time, some good changes and some bad, but through it all, I have become a stronger, tougher person. There were a lot of “what the heck's" and a lot of “whys", but looking back, I now understand why everything happened the way it did. That's what a year does to you; changes your life in ways you never realized until it's the end of the year and you're reflecting on how it went.

This year taught me so many valuable lessons on how to handle life's ups and downs, and from what I have learned and experienced, I have taken away a few tokens of advice and rules to ensure that this new year will be a prosperous, healthy, and happy one.

Let it go

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Whatever is currently causing you stress, be it an argument with a friend, a breakup, a difficult day at work, the best thing you can do for yourself is just let it go. The only person you're hurting is you. You have the power to control your feelings and perspective. Like the saying goes, life is 10% what happens and 90% how you react to it. This is definitely the motto to have going into the new year.

Don't pour from an empty cup

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You come first. It's easy to stretch yourself too thin and feel like you have to put everyone else's immediate needs before your own. But that's not healthy. You need to be energized and stable before you give even an ounce of time and energy to someone else. I have made the mistake many a time of disregarding my health and issues for my job or for other people or for deadlines, but all that did was drain me. I wasn't able to take control of my own problems and wellbeing when I was preoccupied with the needs of everyone else. Don't pour from an empty cup. Make sure you fill your own first.

Don't force a relationship

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Whether its a friendship, romantic relationship, or a familial one, don't force it. Plain and simple. If it's meant to be it will be. Let the bonds form naturally. What is meant for you will come. You just need to be patient. The right people who deserve to have you in their lives will make an effort to have you in theirs. No one on this earth is worth stressing out over.

Take risks

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Take the risk or lose the chance, as they say. I used to be so afraid of taking risks as I have always feared failure, but look at it this way: if you succeed then great, if not, then at least you tried and don't have to ask "what if?" I've missed out on so much this past year simply because I was too afraid to try. Well, that mindset ends with 2018.

Find the "good" in every "bad"

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Life isn't perfect. You're going to have those days where it feels like everything is wrong and nothing will get better. Believe me, I've had my fair share of those this year. However, what I wish I could've done differently was finding the positive in each of the negatives. It would've made dealing with everything so much easier, and I would've spent more time being happy than being miserable. And this for sure I'll make a point of doing next year.

So 2018, you were a lesson, not a blessin'. I learned more about my strength and how much I can endure more than ever before, and for that I am grateful. Everyone has their hardships and regrets at the end of the year-things they wish they never did, or that they did do, or that they could've done differently. And you know what? That's life. And just because the clock strikes midnight and a new year is upon us, it isn't a magic spell that will automatically fix all the problems in your life and grant your wishes. You have to make it happen. However, the magic that does exist with the ringing in of a new year is the power we each have to make those changes.

So, cheers to 2019. May it be the best year for us all yet.