A Review of 2013
I decided to make 2013 a year for bettering myself as a person and as I reflect on the past year, I know I am far from the person I want to be, but I definitely learned some valuable lessons about life. So here they are.
1. Appreciate EVERYTHING.
I focused a lot on being thankful this year and with that I learned how important it is to appreciate everything: moments, days, feelings, things, and people. Especially people. And make sure you tell the people you appreciate that you appreciate them. That's something we don't do enough and it's important to do it while we can. Plus, everyone likes to feel appreciated.
2. Be honest with everyone- including yourself.
Even though it can be difficult, it's better to be honest than to become trapped in a web of lies. And it's also a good idea to avoid lying to yourself. If you can be honest with yourself you figure things out a lot quicker and it will be easier in the long run.
3. You can't make everyone happy.
This is big. A lot of us try to make everyone around us happy but then we end up sacrificing our own happiness. We must accept that we cannot make everyone happy and then focus on making ourselves happy first.
4. We can do anything we put our minds to.
I'm sure we've all hear the phrase about how if you think you can or you think you can't, either way you're right. You can do anything you put your mind to. You just have to be willing to work for it, which is usually the hard part.
5. Goals are important.
Goals are what keep us going in life. We must set, write, achieve. It's important to recognize what we want to do with our lives and how we can get there. Goals are how we make things happen.
6. Make good habits.
Our habits are what define us. Good habits lead to a good life. As Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
7. Grades aren't important.
Well, they kind of are. But in the big picture what matters is what you learn and how you apply it to life. Learning is the important part, grades are just how we define it in school. Just keep learning and you will be happy.
8. Life isn't fair.
This is a fact that people often forget. We feel as though the world owes us and that whatever is happening in our life isn't fair. Well, it's not the world's fault. It's just life. And it's not just us. Everyone goes through rough patches but they help us grow. All failure and even heartbreak leads to some sort of learning experience that we all must go through. Sometimes life isn't fair, but it's our response to it that helps us grow us people.
9. Worrying is pointless.
Worrying leads to anxiety and anxiety sucks. When you look at it worrying gets us nowhere anyway so the anxiety is pointless. Whatever you're worrying about will either happen or not happen and worrying does little to help you prepare for the actual situation. SO STOP WORRYING. My quality of life has improved because I make a conscious effort to not worry as much and I suggest everyone do the same.
"If you cannot help worrying, remember that worrying cannot help you either. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. If you worry you die, if you don't worry you die, so why worry?"
And finally (also probably the most important)...
10. Attitude is a choice.
We wake up every day and have the option to choose how we are going to face it. Things may happen throughout the day, but as I said before, how we react is an important part of how we deal with life. Our attitude reflects how we approach life. We must keep this in mind as we approach every day.
This is only a fraction of what I actually learned this year. It all seems really important though. I hope you all had a wonderful 2013 and have an even better 2014.
1. Appreciate EVERYTHING.
I focused a lot on being thankful this year and with that I learned how important it is to appreciate everything: moments, days, feelings, things, and people. Especially people. And make sure you tell the people you appreciate that you appreciate them. That's something we don't do enough and it's important to do it while we can. Plus, everyone likes to feel appreciated.
2. Be honest with everyone- including yourself.
Even though it can be difficult, it's better to be honest than to become trapped in a web of lies. And it's also a good idea to avoid lying to yourself. If you can be honest with yourself you figure things out a lot quicker and it will be easier in the long run.
3. You can't make everyone happy.
This is big. A lot of us try to make everyone around us happy but then we end up sacrificing our own happiness. We must accept that we cannot make everyone happy and then focus on making ourselves happy first.
4. We can do anything we put our minds to.
I'm sure we've all hear the phrase about how if you think you can or you think you can't, either way you're right. You can do anything you put your mind to. You just have to be willing to work for it, which is usually the hard part.
5. Goals are important.
Goals are what keep us going in life. We must set, write, achieve. It's important to recognize what we want to do with our lives and how we can get there. Goals are how we make things happen.
6. Make good habits.
Our habits are what define us. Good habits lead to a good life. As Aristotle once said, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit."
7. Grades aren't important.
Well, they kind of are. But in the big picture what matters is what you learn and how you apply it to life. Learning is the important part, grades are just how we define it in school. Just keep learning and you will be happy.
8. Life isn't fair.
This is a fact that people often forget. We feel as though the world owes us and that whatever is happening in our life isn't fair. Well, it's not the world's fault. It's just life. And it's not just us. Everyone goes through rough patches but they help us grow. All failure and even heartbreak leads to some sort of learning experience that we all must go through. Sometimes life isn't fair, but it's our response to it that helps us grow us people.
9. Worrying is pointless.
Worrying leads to anxiety and anxiety sucks. When you look at it worrying gets us nowhere anyway so the anxiety is pointless. Whatever you're worrying about will either happen or not happen and worrying does little to help you prepare for the actual situation. SO STOP WORRYING. My quality of life has improved because I make a conscious effort to not worry as much and I suggest everyone do the same.
"If you cannot help worrying, remember that worrying cannot help you either. Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday. If you worry you die, if you don't worry you die, so why worry?"
And finally (also probably the most important)...
10. Attitude is a choice.
We wake up every day and have the option to choose how we are going to face it. Things may happen throughout the day, but as I said before, how we react is an important part of how we deal with life. Our attitude reflects how we approach life. We must keep this in mind as we approach every day.
This is only a fraction of what I actually learned this year. It all seems really important though. I hope you all had a wonderful 2013 and have an even better 2014.
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