2016 has been a year of lessons for me. Good lessons, bad lessons, but all of them were beneficial to my growth as a human being. I've realized a lot about myself and what I want from this life. I am not just a daughter. A sister. A granddaughter. A niece. A friend. A girlfriend. I am me.

I am beautiful.

I am smart.

I am kind.

I am determined.

I am educated.

I am spiritual.

I am growing.

I am loved.

I am funny.

I am silly.

I am caring.

I am unique.

I am strong; both physically and mentally.

I am a girlfriend of 2 whole years.

I am a photographer.

I am a senior caregiver.

I am a fantastic chocolate eater.

I am a great writer.

I am an oreo dunking master.

I am fan of vacuuming.

I am not a reader.

I am good with money.

I am still myself when no one is looking.

I am talented.

I am generous.

I am a dog mommy.

I am a thrill-seeker.

I am elegant.

I am sophisticated.

I am willing.

I am a completely different person than I was 6 months ago. I am a completely different person than I will be 6 months from now. It's amazing how much a person changes between the years of graduating high school and graduating college. It's been extremely difficult realizing life is not as easy as it looks. It's not easy being an adult. It's not easy having to work more than you'd like to be able to support yourself. It's not easy having to depend on you and only you for food, shelter and whatever you need. Although, I will tell you it is worth every second. I am so glad I was raised to earn my own living and to work for anything I want. It makes the adult life transition much easier to handle.

Self-actualization is actually a thing, and once you get to that point in your life, you will enjoy living. Of course, I'm not to that point myself, but I'm on the right track and the feeling is amazing. Once you stop caring about what other people think and believe you should be doing, life becomes different. Once you stop comparing yourself to others, life becomes different. Once you start listening to your heart, life becomes different.

It's so simple to become submissive in this life. It's easy to undergo what everyone else is doing to fit in. "You should go into...." "I think you'd enjoy...." When I understood that I am my own person, and I can do whatever I want, it felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders. If I want to move out of the country and start my own knitting business tomorrow, I can. If I want to join the peace corps, I can. If I want to be a chimney sweep, I totally can. It's not about what anyone else wants. It's solemnly about what I want.

That's how I'm going to continue to live throughout the remainder of 2016 and throughout the rest of my life. It's been a hard process but the outcome has been wonderful.