"2016 was such a life-changing year!" said the most cliché person ever. Consider this my official hop onto that bandwagon. In the short span of 366 days, I lived, loved, lost, learned and laughed — a whole lot. Like Kylie Jenner predicted, 2016 was a year of realizing things, so I'll share a few of the things I learned (not necessarily revelations, but still realizations).
1. You don't have to be friends with everyone to be happy.
In fact, it's quite the contrary. Trying to be friends with everyone is likely just going to make you unhappy. As someone who has gone to a small school for all her life, I often feel compelled to befriend everyone or at least to pretend to facilitate a relationship with them.
2. Surround yourself with the right people.
"Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." - Proverbs 13:20 ESV
This has always been one of my favorite Bible verses because it serves a great reminder. We should strive to share kindness in all of our actions, but that doesn't mean we have to be a "companion" to "fools." Who are the fools? They could be people who tear you down emotionally — toxic friends. They could be "friends" who convince you to do things you wouldn't dare do yourself, and I don't mean that in a good way. Find those people who make you feel loved and wonder why you ever even put up with "drama" in the first place.
3. It's going to be okay — truly.
Wow, this one seems like a no-brainer to most of us, but do we really take it to heart? The latter half of 2016 has really revealed this to me. Perhaps it was the "senioritis," or perhaps it was the never-ending pile of college applications (which has finally ended, thank goodness)! Where are you going for college? Graduate school? Career plans? I'm not particularly fond of answering these questions. So let me be cheesy for a moment and say that it's not about where you go, it's about how you grow as you get there. You're going to be okay.
4. Challenge yourself. Put yourself into uncomfortable situations.
Being uncomfortable is something I didn't experience too often. At school, outside of school, in extracurriculars, I stayed, for the most part, in my comfort zone. Challenging myself physically, intellectually and spiritually became one my focuses in 2016. Join that club. Run for that leadership position. Talk to that person. Have that conversation. When you're in a new environment, you must learn to adapt. That's what life is anyways, right? You will learn so much more when you push yourself.
5. Act with prudence — especially on the internet.
This one is a little different from the others, but it's still important. Fortunately, I didn't experience any disaster on the internet, but it was a topic that came to my attention this year. It's 2016, and the internet maintains a presence in just about everything. More and more apps provide opportunities to divulge personal information. Just remember that it doesn't hurt to do a background check on something that might seem "sketchy." And it doesn't end there. Social media is our digital footprint. Think twice before posting. Sure, you might really feel *insert expletives here,* but do you think your future employer will appreciate that?
