This year was a definitely a year full of growth. I learned a lot about myself this year through the amount of changes that I endured and I can honestly say I came out stronger. I am still a work in progress, but that is ok. And to anyone reading this please understand that small progress is still progress ! This year I had a slow start, but towards the middle I put more faith in God and he has pushed me through it ! So cheers to the lessons I learned In 2018, I just had to share this with you guys :)
1.) Family is everything
- I reconnected with a lot of family members this year and it helped put things in prospective for me. At the end of the day, all you have is family. There are people that will not stick around forever, but your family will ALWAYS have your back ! Cherish every moment you have with them.
2.) Small progress is still progress
- There are people who make it big and you wonder " how did they do it," or " when is it going to be my turn," but already if you are having these thoughts you are thinking wrong. Taking small steps to get to a bigger goal is OK. Just because someone else did it faster doesn't mean you have to do the same. Follow your OWN pace ! As long as you are pushing for that goal it'll happen for you. If you are not where you want to be right now that is ok too. It may not be your season right now and all the little steps that you are making NOW is what is going to prepare you for something bigger. Think about like that :)
3.) Rejection is everyones biggest down fall, but don't let it scare you
- It took me sooooo long to get this blog started because I was so afraid that people were not going to be receptive to what I was trying to do ! However, I put my big girl panties on, sucked it up, started planning, and now we are here. Moral of the story is Rejection is everyones worst enemy, but don't let it be yours.
4.) Affirmation is key
- It makes a big difference when you speak things into existence ! To be specific, speaking POSITIVE things into existence. For example, If you have a final/midterm, and you are a tad bit worried of how you are going to do, tell yourself " I will pass, and I will conquer this," ! It's not hard to do. Just believe in yourself and always speak good things into existence.
5.) Surround yourself around positivity
- When you are around positive energy and people that are going to push you in a positive way it just makes you feel good. Stay far away from negative energy because it can rub off on you, but don't allow it, PERIOD. Being around positive energy just helps a lot with your personal growth.
6.) Taking time for yourself is important
- Think about it . How can you be your best self if your are stretching yourself too thin for everybody else, but yourself ? You can't ! Nothing good ever comes out of doing that. Trust me. So, take time to yourself because we all need some me time every now and then. It's important to regroup on your own.
7.) It is okay to not be okay
- I had a lot of moments where I truly did not feel 100 percent me. When you are not okay you have to be honest with yourself and lean on people who have your back ! It is okay to not be okay because we are human and nobodies perfect. I think it helps when you find people that are or have been in similar situations as you so that y'all can lift each other up.
8.) Surround yourself around people who are going to be honest with you ( AVOID THE YES MAN)
- Honesty is the best policy and there are people who still don't get this ! Please understand when somebody is genuinely honest with you and not just telling you what YOU want to hear that is someone you want to keep around. At the end of the day that person only wants what is best for you. When you have a YES MAN around they could potentially only be looking out for themselves. Every YES MAN I had in my life I had to cut them off for that exact reason. This is going to be a silly example, but if I'm going to a party and I'm wearing something that does not look right and I ask the "friend" what they think and they still tell me it looks good, THAT IS NOT A FRIEND. If I look bad tell me I look bad, do not make me look like a fool.
9.) Change is a beautiful thing
- Change is not always a beautiful thing when it comes about in the beginning, but I feel as though it is the end result that really brings it to light.
10.) Be passionate with whatever it is your are doing
- If you are not passionate about what you are doing.... ask yourself one simple question. Should I be doing it in the first place ? If you are not passionate about whatever it is you are doing, not only are you wasting your time, but you could be wasting other peoples time as well. Do yourself a favor and put your all into whatever it is that you are doing !
11.) Smile more
- Smiling can literally turn your whole mood upside down. Try it :)
12.) Having positive energy will take you far
- I know life sucks sometimes, but we have to get through it. In order to get through it you have to try and look at things in a positive light. When you have positive energy people pay attention to that. They wanna know why are you so happy and already that will attract the right people.
13.) It is not the end of the world if you have one bad day
- Relax, take several deep breaths and understand that everyone has those days because nobody on this planet earth is perfect. If you spilled coffee on your favorite piece of clothing or you woke up late and missed the train for your 8 am philosophy class; it is not the end of the world. At those moments it may seem like nothing is going right. However, it is just one bad day, your life is not over. Don't dwell on it, go back to thinking positive.
14.) Have some patience
- Rome was not built in one day. Good things come to those who wait. When you are waiting just make sure you are not just waiting for something to happen without doing something, but ensure yourself that you are putting in some work so that whatever it is you want, it will come to you.
15.) Walk in love
- This is a statement I learned from my mentor years ago, but I think I really understand it now. Sometimes people are cruel, but just because other people are like that it doesn't mean you have to be the same way. You can show your love to people in different ways. For example, having an attitude of gratitude or uplifting someone when they seem to be having a bad day.
16.) Have Faith
- This is pretty big. When you have a strong faith NOTHING can defeat you !
17.) You don't have to spend money to have a good time
- Using your resources that you do have and coming together with people, laughing, and talking and simply catching up with one another can be more of a good time than going out and spending your money on something you can do for yourself. For example, get your friends together at your house and see who can contribute games, who has food or snacks that they're willing to share and boom there you have it a good time!
18.) Invest in yourself
- In order to get things moving you have to believe in yourself and invest in your craft. You may not get the help you want in the beginning, but if you invest in yourself and people see you doing that, in the end you have to give yourself some credit and others will too.
*Huge shoutout to Mr. Eric Singleton for taking my pictures they came out AMAZING ! Follow him on instagram @singbyrde to see all of his amazing photography