Life Lessons from 2018

2018 was one of my best years yet! I traveled, I laughed & I cried but overall I learned more about myself than I honestly thought I would. I sat for a while before writing this blog post about the things that I truly learned. I was gonna try to be all cliche and write down “8 things I learned in 2018″but I begin writing and realized that as much as I learned, it really only came down to about 5 major things in one way or another. Most know that I am a very, very private person (considering I have an entire blog, that probably makes no sense haha!). I tried my hardest to be as transparent as possible in the fewest words that I could below. These are the five true things that I leaned in the last 365 days:

I Learned it’s Okay to Say No

I am the QUEEN of trying to accomplish anything & everything, all at once. I mean, I have a planner that I live by and bring with me everywhere just to make sure I am constantly getting things done. My obsession with accomplishment is not always a good thing, as I literally work myself tired most days. Whether it’s my 9-5, something with my personal life, etc. I always have said “yes” without hesitation to anything that was asked of me. I’ve chugged Red Bulls before going out with friends, knowing I would be much happier in bed since rest was well overdue. I’ve stayed up all hours of the night trying to get something for work done that I knew easily could be finished the next day. Last year, for the FIRST time ever, I acknowledged that it’s 150% okay to slow down & say no sometimes. I proudly declined opportunities I was given, knowing my schedule was full & tried (like really tried) to be honest about deadlines I knew I couldn’t meet. It was a great, but scary, feeling to finally do this, as I have been know to be the “Yes girl” at all times. This year, I changed that & I honestly wish I would’ve done so earlier. Self care is just as important as accomplishment and saying no to things that you know you are not 100% up to par to do helps everyone in the long run.

Truth is- you can’t please everybody, and that’s okay

I love making anyone & everyone happy! I, myself, am normally happy & often try to look at the bright side of everything. But, at the end of the day, you will never make everyone happy and you will literally kill yourself trying to. Regardless of what situation, there will most of the time always be at least one person that doesn’t agree with your decision. I really struggled with this truth for a while (like, years). In my head, not pleasing everyone meant that I was always disappointing someone, and I’ve always been hard on myself for that. This year, I learned that not pleasing everyone is actually not “disappointment” at all. Not pleasing everyone by making choices on your own is actually growth that everyone needs. No, not every choice that you make will always be the right one, but making choices in itself is a task & something (whether you are right or wrong) to be proud of. Making choices for yourself allows you to truly learn from your mistake and celebrate your good choices, all at the same time.

Traveling the world is one of my biggest Passions

A few years ago, I knew I love to travel but I didn’t fully understand how much I enjoyed it until this year. I LOVE being on an airplane, I LOVE being in new places & I LOVE seeing the world. Being on a plane, I almost always make sure I have a window seat. I totally zone out when I’m in the sky, everything up there amazes me. From the view to the earth below to even the clouds and how some are bigger than others, all in different shapes, etc. Everything from up above is so, so beautiful and I think it’s really easy to take the amazingness of the earth for granted on a daily basis from down below. Traveling to different places each year has been something that I’v done for a while & I don’t see this even not being apart of my life. There is nothing better than being in unknown territory, experiencing different lifestyles and cultures. I truly feel that there is so much of the world to see. For anyone, I challenge you to travel more. Material things are great, but I truly believe that experiences and culture over a new handbag is always ( I mean, most times) a better idea.

Trusting God isn’t always easy

I will be the first to say that I feel much better about things when I am in control. This is true in just about everything in life- while in the car I prefer to be the one driving. On vacations I’m normally the one who plans everything from where we are staying to where we are heating, etc, etc. For me- I just like the feeling that things are getting done & I feel more assured of this if I am the one getting them done. I know, I know that probably sounds awful but it’s the truth. This whole theory of mine really didn’t work this year as I felt out of control regarding EVERY situation in my life (LOL)! From work to personal things, I wasn’t in control of outcomes and as scary as it was it was hands down one of the best things that happened this year. In 2018, I really learned to embrace every little situation for what it truly is as I know that it is just a stepping stone preparing you for whats to come. Trusting God during the last year was hard, not because anything bad was happening..but because things that I had prayed for for sooo long are happening and it was a bit scary. Many times this year, I felt unprepared for the blessings I was receiving, but I just rolled with it- knowing that God will never give you more than you are prepared for. But I honestly didn’t feel prepared at all, which leads me to my next point: GROWTH.

Growth can be a scary thing (& comparison can stop it completely)

As I said above, the saying (or sayings) that you should make sure you’re ready for whatever it is that you’re praying for is so real ya’ll! There comes a time when things that you want start happening which is an amazing things but at the same time (for me anyways)- TERRIFYING!. Doubt easily kicks in during times like this, making you wonder if you are even ready for whatever is you’re doing or even qualified. Then, if you’re anything like me, you start to think of a million and two other people who can either do whatever it is your doing better, or have done it at a younger age and you’re just playing catch up..yada yada. Comparison to others is a growth killer and can be your biggest enemy. This year, I truly learned how comparing success is nothing more than a lie, because it’s simply not possible. No ones path to where they got is the exact same- no two journeys are alike. This is what makes growth so amazing, but also so scary. The feeling of the unknown is not a comforting place, but is is beyond necessary.

In a nutshell, those are the things that this last year taught me. Every year, I have a word, and my word for 2018 was prepare. I do feel that last year was preparing me for something, I just honestly don’t know what yet. 2018 was a whirlwind filled with far more good times than bad, lots of laughs and some growing pains. Overall, I think it was one of my best years yet!

Until Next Time,

B