16 Things Learned in 2016

1. Never turn down the opportunity to travel. Ever. Even if you are forced to leave your dog, your boyfriend, your uncle, your mom, or your best friend, I am here to personally promise you that you will not regret it. You may find how lucky you are to have what you have and to have been born into the community you belong. Or, you may find you have been living in false light. You may find that you belong somewhere millions miles away, and you've been missing out. Either way, changing scenery every once in a while helps you discover yourself and open your eyes. 

 2. There is no reason to worry or even think about things you cannot control. Take a second and think about everything you control. For me when I first did this, I realized how much I cannot control. If you focus on only what you can control, life becomes bearable.

 3. Let people finish their sentences before accusing them. You’ll gain much more out of it than interrupting them and perhaps it'll save you some embarrassment.

 4. Don’t speak if you don’t know the facts. This is a terrible flaw of mine which has led to much confusion and discontent. Do your research before blabbering, it’ll also save you some  embarrassment. 

 5. It is possible to communicate without speech. Hand gestures, pointing, smiles and nods will save you. Don’t fret. 

 6. Test scores can make you feel worthless if you’re not careful. In our modern schooling age, there is a constant reminder to students that if you can’t get this score or you don’t get that degree or into that program that your voice is less important or even meaningless compared to someone who has that score or degree. Distance yourself from those who believe that test scores define you. 

 7. Studying helps, but it is not everything. Staying up the extra hour can be destructive. Know your limits, know your signs. 

 8. It doesn’t matter what you wear, it matters how you wear it. People find comfort in your insecurity. Acting like you don’t own your clothes, words, or actions makes you vulnerable to become other people’s prey.

9. Our existence is quite tiny. (Check out my entry on our minuscule existence here.)

 10. Listen. Always listen, even if the person is speaking a foreign language. When listening to people speak in a language you understand, don’t daydream too much, you’ll be surprised how much you learn. Always listen to understand not to reply. 

 11. Sticking with something is the only way to accomplish it. Nothing is easy to master. The only way to come close to mastering anything is to work at it repetitively. 

 12. Love is an extremely powerful entity. There’s a reason there are millions of love songs being produced and sung everyday.

 13. People are not their stereotypes. Even if they look, speak or act like it, deep down they are their own. Everyone has their own little quirks that make them an individual and that separate them from the stereotypes. Give people a chance. 

 14. Fame isn't real. We were all born with a skeleton and we all have organs keeping us alive today. Whatever money, fans, or cars they have do not mean that they deserves your idolization. I feel that in today’s society we find ourselves caught up in adoration for people who we have never spoken to and never even seen with our own eyes. At the end of the day, we are all the same on the inside and that's all that matters. 

 15. You dictate your life. Not your mother, father, age, sickness or reputation, it is all up to you. Your mindset. Your feelings. Your opinions. Your actions. Your words. Make your own life. 

 16. Life is fragile. I think this occurs to different people at different times. For me, it occurred with sudden deaths that nothing is certain, but these times also serve as a reminder that you always must be grateful for every person in your life. Remembering nothing is certain reminds us to take risks, as well. They'll work out in one way or another, even if it is not the way you expected or desired.

Like any other year, 2016 came with its highs and lows for everyone. For the world, 2016 was scattered with negativity and positivity, life and death, freedom and oppression. I focused strictly on personal growth for two reasons. Firstly because in writing the rule of thumb is that the  more personal the better and secondly because everyone learns differently from the same situations. 

I hope that I did not come off as trying to be a life guru in this entry because that is not what I was aiming for. Purely, I was aiming to help anyone somehow or someway, although this list is basically directed at myself. All of these points have been learned through my little life experience and/or others’ teachings.

 In the past few years, I have also learned the beauty of reflecting. Since 2015, I have been making reflections on my years that include accomplishments of the past year, what I’ve learned, and what I want to accomplish and work on in the new year. For the new year part, I hang up the paper that has what I want to work on somewhere that I see it regularly to ensure that I will remember and, hopefully with work, accomplish these goals. In my opinion, doing this simple reflection is a fantastic way to document personal growth. I promise that writing the smallest accomplishments and things learned in the year will make you say “wow, I did do something this year!” Even if one of them is simply, “showering daily” or “never snoozing my alarm clock.” And the next year, re-reading what you learned and the accomplishments you documented, it will be a pleasure to ponder how your mind, outlook or vocabulary has expanded. This I strongly recommend, as I know it has been a pleasure for me to do each year. 

In the comments I challenge YOU to tell something you learned this year. 

Cheers and best wishes for 2017!