The end of one year and the beginning of another is the perfect time to look back and reflect on life lessons. This year has been strangely comfortable. I’ve worried a lot less and when I do worry, I have a back-up system that kicks in and reminds me to chill. I’ve learned so much about my priorities, desires, and needs. I’ve heard it said that you mellow out and get a better sense of who you are in your 30s. I’m glad the train is early! There is always more to learn. (If you’re not learning, you’re not growing!) As I look back on my year, these are the life lessons that came into focus this year.
1. Know what you’re living for and how you want to live.
I’ve learned that my life focus is less about climbing a corporate ladder, paying bills, and living an ordinary path. It’s about giving back to my community, taking care of the people in my life and living my best life, a life chasing my desires, goals and abilities. While making more money to be able to do more things is always nice, it’s comforting to know that my worth isn’t dependent on a social status.
This thought-provoking LA Times op-ed piece really brought me back to purpose. It’s by a woman with terminal cancer. This last paragraph is the main lesson:
“I understand that my infinitesimally tiny piece in all this is coming to a close. Letting go will be difficult, but death has its own clock. So I will take solace in the idea that, once gone, I may come to occupy a small space in the hearts of the people who loved me most. And perhaps from there, I will be a source of a few simple reminders: Time is limited. Life is miraculous. And we are beautiful.”
When you die, you live on in many ways. It’s in the memories of people you love and the things they feel when they think about you. It’s also in the ways you helped better your community, be it a young person you mentor, a park you helped build, or a piece of legislation you helped pass.
How would you live your life if you knew you had limited time left? How would you treat the people around you?
I also recommend checking out these thought-provoking pieces:
Abby Wambach’s Goodbye Video
Quality Time Matters article
2. Never stop dreaming, exploring, and learning.
I think new experiences keep our brains enlightened and our happiness fulfilled. Some of my most memorable moments this year were traveling to new places, eating at new restaurants, and taking classes for new skills. There is so much to discover and learn, and no matter what age or background, you have an incredible amount of curiosity, creativity, opportunity and ability. Go dream big dreams and try new things! Your life isn’t set in stone. YOU get to wake up and make decisions every day.
3. Make priorities and make time.
I’ve encountered so many situations with myself and others where I’ve thought: if it’s so important to you then why don’t you make time for it? If you want to lose weight or be healthier, you need to make time to go work-out and grocery shop for healthy ingredients. If you want better relationships, you need to make plans and be present with people. If you want to become better at a skill, you need to invest the time, money and focus on it. It’s a simple concept with heavy discipline. But, isn’t it worth it and isn’t life about striving for better? The things you spend your hours, days and weeks on, those are your priorities. Are you happy with how you spend your time?
4. Focus on positivity.
Looking at the world events in 2015, this year has been one of anger, sadness and fear. On top of that, we’ve become an openly opinionated society, for better or worse. We can easily post our thoughts, even the negative comments that fire us up, on social media. Adding to the negativity we see every day, our self-worth is affected by what we see on social media and how it makes us feel. As I mentioned in my social authenticity post, there’s more to life than what’s on social media. I know it’s easy to get jealous and discouraged by what other people are highlighting on their social accounts. I’ve found that if I focus on what’s real and my values, priorities and gratitude, it helps me stay positive and it makes all the difference.
5. Celebrate!
Be thankful for where you came from and what you’ve accomplished. Celebrate your friendships and the people who make life worth it. Be thankful for everything you are blessed with! Being focused on your next big project or goal is great, but celebrating victories, big or small, can be a small piece of encouragement to propel you on.
What life lessons did you learn in 2015?
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