Things that 2016 Taught Me

We have come to a point where we are all gearing up to welcome another set of 365 days with high hopes that it will not turn as bad as this year. 2016 truly is a tough year - you can easily say that through the numerous tweets and posts of netizens broadcasting that they want this year to be over.

Before 2015 started, I published a post on how you can make 2016 your year. You can read that here.  Although it's embarrassing to admit, I wasn't able to meet all of those tasks, I haven't even started doing most of it. But aside from failing to achieve all those tips, there are other reasons why I'm ready to let this year go.

2016 has been a year of ups and downs- full of consecutive problems, struggles, changes and nuisances. I bet you also experienced these, but come to think of it, without these negative incidents, we will not learn, we will not be the better version of ourselves. Ergo, I'm super thankful to all that happened this year, positive or negative, because it really taught me a lot. 

I took great time and effort to look back and reflect on what 2016 has taught me. 

1. First, yourself. ALWAYS. It is not a selfish act to put yourself first. People take care of others more than their selves, they always give and provide for others, that is why at the end of the day, there's nothing left for them. It is okay to be selfless sometimes, but keep in mind that you only got yourself and if nobody believes in you, you still have yourself.

2. You get what you want, if you really deserve it. I've learned that no matter how hard you work for it, if it's really not for you, you will not have it. Simple as that.

3. Small circle is fine and much better. When we were young, we always believe that the more the better. But as I grew older, I realized that, no, it's not. Quality over quantity- The quality of your friends matters more than the quantity. It's better to have less friends that are real and who knows your worth, rather than having a lot of friends who makes you feel you are worthless.

4. Stash some cash. This is one of the things I listed in my prior blog post on making 2016 your year. Look what happened. Yes I did save some, but I spent it right away. The reason why I save money is to buy the (expensive) things that I want without asking my parents. My mistake was I continuously pull out cash from my wallet, not pondering if I really need it, or if I should just buy it some other time. Lesson learned indeed. Save and spend wisely!

5. Grades are just another important numbers. For some, it's enough to have a passing grade. Let me tell you, your parents doesn't work 5-6 days in a week to send you to a good school with high quality education to just earn a freaking passing grade. Yes it doesn't define your intelligence, but personally, I think it shows what kind of student you are. Why settle for a passing grade when you know you can do better?

6. Know respect if you want to earn it. Before you ask it from somebody, think first if you know what it is. I realized that respect isn't always given. No matter how high your status in life is, no matter how huge your salary is, no matter how many followers you have, if you don't show respect to others and if you're actions doesn't show any signs of it, others will not show and give it to you, too.

7. Learn to say no. This maybe the potential reason why I always end up with the wrong decisions. I tend to be excited whenever I am offered great opportunities and I don't think twice. There was this one time when an organization sent me an e-mail and I replied back immediately, turns out, it was just a dummy organization. Sucks right? In other occurrences, learn to say no and mean it!

8. Have a "main". For so long, I kept all my feelings, especially the bitter, stressing ones, to myself just to project a brave and strong image. At times, I have this pushy feeling to talk it out with somebody but I fight that urge and refuse. Nonetheless, I felt a strong sense of relief when I finally had the strength to share it to someone. (To my family and relatives, don't you worry, this is not for a "special" someone *winks*) And boy, how happy I was when she (you know who you are ☻) sincerely listened to all my whines, rants, and words that I cannot explain clearly. You should have a person who is willing to listen to your nonstop blabber, a person who always ask you what's wrong even before you approach them, and a person who has the same level of weirdness and craziness and doesn't get tired of your shenanigans. I promise you, your life will get better!

9. Great lessons are learned through pain. Let me put it this way. You accidentally touch a hot , boiling kettle. You were hurt. Now, are you going to touch it again? If you're stupid, yes, you will. But if you're wise, you won't. When we get hurt, it will surely change us, but it depends on us how we will cope up with that change. Pain is an effective mentor, and without it, we will not learn how to get up after tripping and how we will continue with our life after all the discomfort. Hurtful and painful experiences molds us into better individuals.

10. Forgiveness is not always easy to give. It may be easy for some to give second chances, to just let it pass, or to just forget everything that happened. You know what I learned, forgiveness is significant to achieve peace, but it is not just a candy that you can give and give to others. If you keep forgiving them, they will abuse it, because they will assume that you will always forgive them no matter how many times they will repeat their mistake. Guys, you cannot forgive with a broken and unwilling heart. It takes time, believe me, it takes a long run to forgive someone sans heavy feelings.

11. Yes to spontaneity. Great memories are formed when unplanned. Go for an unscheduled movie date with your friends or a long road trip unsure where you're headed. Opt for something random to feel a certain bliss!

12. Letting go doesn't make you a bad person. Ironic it is, that we still keep the toxic elements in our life and wonder why all these chaos exist. You should set free the things that hinders you from achieving your freedom. Letting go is a sign of bravery that you can outgrow and leave the things that are not useful or are worthless in your life. It doesn't make you a bad person, it makes you a better one, also makes your life even better.

13. Don't judge quickly if you don't put yourself in their shoes. Cliché as it may sound but we live in a judgmental society. We are very vocal about our opinions not being mindful that we may hurt the feelings of others. There was a time when I judged someone so easily for overreacting over a shallow problem (I'm not going to say 'once' because I always judge all the time) and I regretted it because it happened to me. Everybody undergoes something that you will never understand until you experienced it.

14. Waiting is a satisfying game. A perfect example would be, waiting for you package to arrive that you ordered online. What a very exciting feeling! Even if you can surely predict that something is about to happen or you know that you will receive a precious gift, still wait for it. Don't demand because it's so much better to finally grasp something you've been waiting for so long.

15. Keep yourself healthy. Another thing included in my 2016 list but sadly I did not attain. I've been sickly due to sleep deprivation last semester for some major requirements. I didn't take any meds or follow what my mom told me, that's why before I've fully recovered, I'll get sick again. You should be mindful of your health because it will affect everything especially on how you will function.

16. Never aim for perfection, aim for happiness. A very important lesson so take note. If your primary purpose why you work excessively hard is to impress the people around you or to meet their high expectations, I am telling you to stop torturing yourself. If that is your reason, you're missing what it is all about- to be completely happy. You are not in this world to please everybody, to earn their affirmation. Never aim for perfection for you are targeting nothing. There is no such thing as perfect. Do the things for you know it will satisfy you, do it because it will motivate you to do more, do it because it brings you happiness. You may not impress everyone but at least you made yourself happy.

17. Don't stop learning. Quit saying "I know it already!". There's so much in this life that you think you know but you probably don't. To be successful in life, you should learn new things and don't stop there, continue to obtain more.

2016 may be a tough year but it is definitely a year full of lessons, a year of growth and realizations.