The First Month of the Year Is Over – How Is 2016 Different?

It’s a full month into 2017, and I was unable to come up with some sort of idea as to how this year is going to be different than the last.

What had I learnt from 2016 and what did I want to incorporate into this year?

2016 was many things, but most importantly – and Kylie Jenner said it best – it was the year of “realizing things.” We’re onto the second month of 2017, and only now am I understanding what exactly it was that I learnt.

1.  You will always be confined only to the barriers or limits you set for yourself. If you want to do something, unless you try your utter best, you will never achieve what you set out to do.
2. Your worth is not defined by how many people like your picture or if they do or do not comment. Do what makes you happy. The point is to express yourself, not try to figure out what people like.
3. People change people. Surround yourself with people you believe will help you become a better person. The people you spend time with believe it or not, severely impact the person you turn out to be.
4. Spend as much time as you possibly can with people you care about. This world isn’t meant to last forever, and you never know when someone might leave you.
5. Be constant in what you believe. Don’t follow trends just because “everyone is doing it.”
6. Stand up for what you believe in even if you are standing alone. Fight for what you believe in, even if others don’t necessarily join in or believe you. However, this too will have limitations.
7. You realize how true of a friend an individual is when you need someone by your side. They will either be there for you in your time of need or abandon you.
8. Be humble for if you are, you will lead a simpler life.
9. Allow yourself to experience moments instead of immediately going to take a picture.
10. Take a minute at the end of every day and reflect on what you’ve done. Did you spend your time wisely?
11. Focus on the positivity in your life rather than worrying about the negative.
12. What’s done is done. Don’t worry about what has happened in the past. There’s nothing you can do to change it.
13. There is strength in vulnerability. Being vulnerable doesn’t in anyway make you weak. They are two completely different things.
14. Your family is one of the most important things in the world. Don’t push them away. Especially your parents.
15. Exert yourself. Try and try again. If you fall once, pick yourself back up and push yourself harder.
16. Don’t judge others. Don’t judge yourself. Everyone is created differently, and it’s time that you accept that.
17. Pray. Practice your religion. Enough said.