2016. The year we thought was "taking" everyone. The year some of us were overjoyed and others depressed over the election of a president. But really, 2016 was much more than just one bad news report after another. It was 365 days of lessons, all packaged up in hidden ways. Here are some lessons learned from 2016 that may not be so bad to bring to 2017.

Life is precious and it is short.

Nothing is guaranteed in this crazy life. Tell the ones that you love, that you love them. Spend some extra time with the people you couldn't imagine doing life without. Write an article about how much your under-appreciated grandmother means to you because you don't have forever to let people know how special they really are.

Be kind.

Everyone is exorcising their own demons and hiding skeletons in their closets. Every person you meet could be going through some hard time. In a world where we make our lives seem amazing on social media, we all keep certain thing private.

Fall in love.

It's easy to ignore this when you've been hurt or you feel like your heart has been stomped on one too many times. But fall in love, or rather let yourself fall in love. Allow yourself to give that kind of happiness to someone but equally receive that happiness from someone, because you deserve it.

You deserve it.

If you had a long day and want to eat some ice cream, do it because you deserve it. You deserve all the things that life has to offer, regardless of your past, mistakes, failures, etc. We are all humans and life didn't come with an instruction manual.

Laugh a lot.

Seriously, do it. Laughing makes you a happier person and how could anyone be in a bad mood while laughing? Laugh and make memories that 20 years from now you'll laugh at all over again. Laughing is contagious so spread your happiness with other people. It'll make the entire world (or at least your corner of it) a better place.

Speak up.

You were given a voice for a reason, so use it! Speak up about the things you don't like, the changes you want to see, anything. You have this amazing power to speak your mind and if you don't do it, nobody will ever get to hear those thoughts and ideas you've concocted. Your voice is important, your opinions mean something.

Strength in numbers.

If 2016 taught us anything, it was that there are, in fact, strength in numbers. Support each other, support causes you believe in, support anything you can. Chain reactions are a real thing and the more supporters you have, the better the outcome. Stand up for what you believe in, even if it may not directly apply to you. Practice your right to protest (peacefully, of course), assemble, and get your message across. People are listening and people will notice.

Look up.

Take a minute or two every day to look up from your phone and engage in the world. Without a phone, I danced with my great-grandma and my grandma at my father's wedding (which is a memory I will treasure years from now). Some of the best moments of 2016 were not captured on a phone or through the lens of a camera. So take a few seconds every day to just look around and take in your surroundings. Explore what the world has to offer, because you won't always have the free time to do it.

And last but not least,

Let it go.

Whatever it is that's holding you back or keeping you from moving forward, let it go. Life is too short to carry around unnecessary hatred or animosity. If you're at a job you hate, let it go and do something that you love. At the end of the day, money doesn't come with you to the grave and nobody will remember how you worked at a job you hated. Do what you love with no apologies. Let go of anything that no longer serves a positive purpose in your life, because you'll only have that much more room for the good things coming your way.

Here's to 2017. A new year, a new beginning. Another 365 days to learn from.