As the year quickly comes to an end, I find myself thinking back on 2016. Remembering all the good, soul enriching moments. As well as the hard ones that made the year seem never-ending. Somehow we all managed to get through it and can possibly turn our focus to another new year, 2017.
This year has been a huge learning curve for a lot of people, myself included. And as cheesy as it may sound, I do feel like I’ve learnt a lot – about myself, about people, things I want and I suppose just life in general.
As much as I’m looking forward to moving on with another, fresh year, there are a few things that I want to take with me from 2016:
To choose happiness. I’ve realised that as much of a rollercoaster as life is, we do have a say in the paths we take. And we have a choice when it comes to deciding our own happiness. I’ve realised the importance of this lately, and I definitely don’t think it can be negotiated! Everyone has different ideas of what happiness is, and that’s great – we need diversity. And personally, I don’t mind anymore if people don’t understand how something can be a form of happiness to me. That’s part of the beauty; it’s unique to me.
To cherish my loved ones. This goes without saying, but it’s so easy to forget. Often, when our family or friends are always there, we can take them for granted. But it’s these people who help you when you’re down, who pick you up when you can’t make it by yourself and who love you despite the mistakes you’ve made.
This holiday I’ve spent some time playing with my baby cousin, Linc. He’s 3. And his innocence and genuine love have been so refreshing to me. It’s moments and experiences like this that I hold tightly onto, and understand how important these small things are.
To adventure and experience everything. I’ve always been a nervous person, since I was little. But as I’ve grown I have been better at pushing myself to do things I wouldn’t usually do or go to new places. And strangely enough, there’s a really cool sense of accomplishment in doing such. I love the idea of being a part of different and unique things – and if there’s dancing and music involved, that’s even better!
To eat lots of cake and drink lots of tea. There’s NOTHING more comforting than sitting down with a cup of tea and a piece of delicious cake with your best friend. I think this is actually one of my favourite things to do! Seriously, what more goodness could there be? I enjoy finding cute cafés in random places and trying them out. When they have beautiful decor and pretty lights, I’m taken 😉
To be honest, and honestly myself. There’s nothing worse than not being true to who you are or pretending around certain people. It can be really, really difficult at times. Honestly, there’s more pain in pretending to be someone you’re not, than people not liking the real you. Anyway, that’s their loss and not your problem. I hope that with 2017, more of ‘me’ comes out – authentic, weird, little me.
I’d also love to know a few of the things you’d like to take into 2017 – comment below and let me know 🙂
And as quickly as that, I wish you happy Christmas and an amazing New Year! (How crazy??)