16 Things I Learned in 2016

Hey, beautiful!

This is my first post of 2017 and before we began, I just wanted to say that I hope you all had an amazing 2016 filled with many blessings, love and laughter. I hope 2017 is even better and that you achieve your goals!

I thought it would be fun to do a “16 Things I Learned in 2016” post because every year we learn new things and even though 2016 was a challenging year, it was also one of the best years I’ve had so far in my life; I shared some amazing experiences with friends and family, learned valuable lessons, experienced heartbreak, lost some loved ones… But I also had incredibly good times filled with laughter and joy surrounded by those I love the most. I can definitely say that 2016 taught me a lot about myself, life in general, love and relationships, and I also got to experience new things.

I can’t wait to see what 2017 has in store for all of us, I know it’ll be amazing. So, without further ado, let’s get into today’s blog post! These are 16 of the many things I learned in 2016…

1. Your perspective is your reality: this means it is all about the energy you put out into the world. You have to think positive if you want to attract positive; this applies to your own self and to other things. It’ll be noticeable once you start having a different mindset about how you view yourself, others, and the world, and that energy will attract people and good things towards you.

2. Never lose your own self to anyone: don’t let anyone ever tell you you’re not worthy of something, treat you any differently than how you deserve to be treated, or change the way you view your own, amazing self and the world. That “anyone” could be a friend of yours, your significant other, your parents, a teacher; anyone.

3. Don’t force things: don’t ignore signs of something that isn’t meant to be; because if something is meant to be, it’ll come naturally.

4. Prioritize: take the time you need to get done whatever needs to be done first. This way you’ll know everything that needs to be taken care of is ready to go and you can go hang out with friends or chill without a worry in the world.

5. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make you a priority: this applies to relationships with friends and significant others; you shouldn’t have to ask anyone for their time and attention towards you. So going back to my earlier point, don’t force things.

6. If you want different results, you have to do things differently.

7. Don’t settle: this lesson came related to love and boys the past year for me. You should never, ever, settle for less or for something that you know is just not right. “The right attention from the wrong guy at a lonely time can be very, very deceiving.”

8. You can love your body and want to change it, all at the same time: I guess this one could be a bit harder to understand. But I see it this way for me, I have learned to love and embrace my curves, but I also know that I’d like to slim down a bit and I’m working towards that.

9. Tell them you love and appreciate them: the people that you appreciate and love the most, be sure they know so. It’s never a bad thing to remind someone of how special and unique they are to you.

10. Everything is temporary, there’s light at the end of the tunnel: it got better, it did. Looking back at past years, I can gladly say it got better for me and 2016 was probably my best year so far. Reminding myself of that also helped me get through some heartbreak in 2016; knowing that as down as I could be feeling at a certain time, I was not going to be feeling like that forever.

11. Be grateful and never take ANYTHING for granted.

12. Stand up for yourself and for what you believe in: never be afraid to tell someone what you truly feel or think, or to stand up for what you believe is the right thing.

13. Step out of your comfort zone: this will lead you to experience new, amazing things you would have otherwise never experienced.

14. Quality over quantity: this one, in my case, is related to friends. It’s better to have a small group of friends that you can be certain are your ride-or-dies, rather than a big group of friends you’re not really sure about. Real friends help you achieve your goals, they worry about you and they won’t always tell you what you want to heart but you know they always want what’s best for you.

15. If you have to think about it too much, it’s a no: this one applied for me in 2016 when it came to relationships with boys and situations in general; if it doesn’t feel natural or right from the start, it’s better to let it go.

16. Respect yourself and say no whenever you don’t feel comfortable in a situation: in 2016 I was put in very different situations where I had to stand up for myself and it honestly felt so right and good afterwards. Also, if someone is forcing you to do something you don’t want to do, it means they don’t respect you enough and someone like that is not really worth your time and effort.

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Those were 16 of the many, many things 2016 taught me. It was a year of a lot of learning, growing, loving and laughing; I wouldn’t change anything of what I experienced in 2016, not for the world!

Feel free to share with us some of the things you learned in 2016 and also some of your goals for 2017. I know this year will be great for everyone!

Bye, beautiful!

Twitter: @stephanieccls

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