“Human: of a characteristic of people as opposed to God or animals or machines, especially in being susceptible to weakness and the making of mistakes.”

Here's something special about the developmental process of the human condition. We are human. We are designed to make mistakes. We weren't designed as perfect beings who would be able to overcome every obstacle or difficulty encountered. We are imperfect and therefore we make mistakes. Some of us make many, many mistakes. Yet, we are capable of recognizing these mistakes and we possess the abilities to create meaningful resolutions.

Why am I talking about human error, might you ask? Well, as you've previously learned, I recently "came out" to everyone; family, friends, teachers, basically anyone who follows me on social media. I've been showered with love and support from everyone. Not ONE negative comment/gesture has been made toward me.

Coming out was a very difficult and thought out decision for me. Ultimately, my goal is to help encourage others to be comfortable with who they are, and, most importantly, LOVING who they are.

I started to begin to love myself once I recognized mistakes I had made, and made efforts to correct them. So, I'm going to start with one of my biggest regrets, which is being selfish.

I used to be selfish and not really care about others or their feelings. I guess you could have called me "egocentric" and "full of myself." Due to my immaturity, I didn't really always have the appropriate amount of empathy or compassion for others.

I suppose one could say I tried to live by the well-known motto "live your life with no regrets." That being said, I didn’t alter my behavior to attempt to reconcile my transgressions. Rather, I lived without regret because I just didn’t think about regret. However, I've come to learn that it is almost inevitable to feel regret from situations in my past. Yet, focusing on merely the regret and not atoning for situations where I neglecting the feelings of others caused only pain and suffering for everyone involved.

I realized that in order for me to live a FULL life, I needed to stop spending so much time focusing on myself and my own feelings. Rather, I needed to GROW UP and focus less on myself and more on those around me. I started to act on the more substantial things in my life, such as family, friends, and relationships. So, here is some advice for you on what types of things to focus on:

Family.

NEVER let your ego stand in front of the importance of your family. I've had a few moments where my ego got the best of me, which caused my family unnecessary pain.. Looking back, I ask myself "Why in the world did I act like that?" Why would I treat the people who love me most in such a despicable way?

Family. They are your first teachers, and your first friends. My family has made personal sacrifices that has allowed me to have greater opportunities to achieve my goals and dreams. My family has taught me the true definition of respect and through their words and actions I have learned that our relationships are priceless...more precious than material things, wealth or glory. My family has taught me how to truly LISTEN, because this world is full of talkers and not near enough listeners. Even though my family may have disagreed with me or didn't understand, by merely listening, they made me feel loved and supported beyond what I could've ever imagined. Even through my personal mistakes, my family listened, and so therefore, I am trying to listen and learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others.

Friends.

As we all know, people grow and change as time progresses. Because of this, people feel that some don't "fit" into their lives anymore. I've lost many friendships that I regret losing. After realizing this, I decided to mend these burned bridges; admit to the mistakes I've made with those people, and try for a better future with them. I've also focused on being a better friend to those close to me in my life.

Loving Others.

I have many regrets when it comes to love. I regret not expressing my love for those who loved me, and I regret hurting those I love. People find that love is almost sometimes impossible to get over. Additionally, other regrets circulate around those who have lost a love one (including infidelity and lies). As I've started to mature, I've woken up every day feeling grateful for those in my life who love me. Because of this, I'm willing to accept the life I have created for myself. I have been in love, have loved, and have been hurt. Don't get me wrong, the healing process for heartbreak is HARD. However, once I began to find my way, and find my purpose in the world, I found it easier to get over the ones who hurt me the most.

Although as humans we are destined to make many, many mistakes in our lives, we also have the capacity to listen and learn. We must allow regret of those mistakes to guide us in positive directions and allow for definitive and productive personal growth. With that in mind, we must also recognize the importance of appreciating those valuable family members/loved ones in our lives who bear with us through our own human condition.