Wow, what a year it has been! To be honest, I cannot believe that 2018 is over! How did it just fly by? I don't know! But anyway, man has it been a great one. Looking back and trying to remember all the moments that happened in the year, I can only recall one feeling and that was happiness. 2018 was such a good year for me. Don't get me wrong, I had my own fair shares of downs but overall, it was a good one. So here I am again, another year down, sitting down on my couch with a glass of wine and writing you guys this blog post on the things I've learned throughout the year, what I can remember of it!
1. Being open to new ideas and adventures.
- Last year, I pretty much experienced a lot of things I never did in my life and I'm pretty proud of myself. Knowing myself, I'm not the spontaneous type. I like knowing what to expect and being ready for things ahead of time. But last year, I got to go skiing for the first time, which is something I l realized I really enjoy. We took a trip not knowing where we would end up, turned out being the best trip I've ever had. I stepped out of my comfort zone at work and tried something new and I sat at the edge of a cliff at the Grand Canyon. At this point, anyone who has met me or known me knows that I'm crazy afraid of heights and that was an accomplishment for me!
2. Online shopping can be so addicting!
- Wow, last year I went crazy with online shopping! As much as I loved every minute of it (I'm not sure my wallet did!), I realized that I spent waayyy too much! I remember even buying things online right before I went to bed and waking up the next morning thinking, wait, did I buy something last night? Lol. It was pretty bad but it was such a good stress reliever.
3. You can only depend on yourself but it's okay to ask for a little help sometimes.
- Every year I feel like I kind of realize this but at the end of each year, I feel like when I'm trying to recall memories and experiences, it always leads me to thinking, wow, I really had to depend on myself for certain things. But then again, each memory I have, it always brings back a person's name to my mind. What I'm trying to say is, I had a lot of times where I felt like I was alone in dealing with things but there were people in my life always by my side asking me if I needed their help. I felt like this year, I sucked up the feeling of being afraid in asking and accepting that I just let it go and finally did it. Don't be afraid to accept help when it's being offered. We all need an extra hand sometimes cause you know, life can be hard at times.
4. Don't read too much into things.
- I realized that in 2018, I became more of the person that didn't really analyze the situation further. Some things that happen in your life is only momentary and it is up to you to decide whether or not it deserves a stage.
5. Expect less, value more.
- Sometimes, the things that annoy us or frustrates us the most in life is wanting things to be a certain way and for it not turning out the way we planned. I think this last year has taught me that the more you expect less in a situation, in a person or in any circumstance, the less it stresses you out. We sometimes fixate our expectations so much in a certain thing/person that when it turns out the other way, we end up with so much anger towards that person/thing without realizing the value of it.
6. There are always going to be people who will try to bring you down.
- I've encountered a good amount of people who always made me question myself and bring me to a point where I wondered if the negative things they were saying were true. But as one wise person said, you just have to shake it off shake it off.
7. Be yourself.
- The last year, I had moments where I felt pretty lost in myself. I didn't know what I wanted to do, what inspired me, what made me happy. As the year came to an end, I realized more that sometimes you just have to step down to your roots and remember the dreams you had as a kid and how it made you so happy. There are also going to be people in your life that are going to try to own your creativity and make it their own. I realized that being yourself in every situation is going to bring you so much happiness than anything in this world and that happiness within you will radiate into every person you meet. So, be you, always.
I'm so thankful and grateful for 2018. I am thankful for good health and the blessing of having family and friends. I'm so excited for 2019. I hope that it is filled with new experiences and adventures. I can't wait to share the new year with you guys! Let's make it a great one! Happy new year!
