Well, here is the typical New Years post that everyone seems to be writing this time of year. Mine's a little different, because I am not the biggest fan of New Years Resolutions. I'm a believer that we should be trying to better ourselves all year around instead of just at the beginning of every year. So, instead of making a list of all the things I want to resolute, I'm going to make a list of the top 10 things that I learned this year.
1 - Friends Are Awesome
This year, Kent and I have finally found a really solid group of friends. We LOVE them. It's been awesome to see our relationship with them grow strong. We've had so many fun camping trips, played on a couples softball league, had major corn-hole tournaments, weekly frozen yogurt meet ups, and so many other fun things. It's been so cool to see how having close friends has helped Kent and I become closer.
2 - Everybody Has Bad Days
The whole month of August was a bad day for us. It seemed like just about everything that could have gone wrong in our lives did! We were both having a major pity party. I realized about a month after complaining and whining, that bad things happen to everybody! It's not just me, and having a pity party solves nothing. Do you know what else solves nothing? Complaining... which brings me to number 3.
3 - Have Gratitude
Kent and I have been so extremely blessed. Even with our horribly never ending bad day in August, we were still so blessed. I realized that if we had recognized all of the blessings that were sitting right under our nose that we may have been able to handle the month with a little bit more grace. Even in times of struggle there is always always always always something to be grateful for.
4 - The Laundry Will Never Ever Be 100% Completed. Ever.
I think I have finally come to accept the fact that I will be doing laundry for the rest of my life. I think I have finally come to accept the fact that there will always always be some clothing item that needs to be folded. I think I am finally over it, I still don't like it, but I'm more okay with it than I have been in the past.
5 - You Don't Have To Please Everyone
In fact, it's impossible to please everyone. I was wearing myself thin at the beginning of last year, making sure that I was always saying the right thing to the right person at the right time. I was constantly worried that I was going to say something that was going to offend someone. I have FINALLY figured out that as long as you're kind, it's not necessary to jump off edges to please people. There is a polite way to say "no." There are some people who may be offended by this, and that's okay. I live by the moto "Not my circus, not my monkeys." BUT it's also okay to go out of your way to make someones day... it just doesn't have to be all the time:)
6 - Worrying Solves Nothing
I used to be a big worrier. I still do worry sometimes... but I have come such a long way! I wrote a whole post about
worrying, and my own words finally sunk into my thick head. Sitting and worrying literally does no good. "Don't worry! It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out in the end. Put your trust in God, and move forward with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us." - Gordon B. Hinckley
7 - Life's Short, Paint the Walls
In the first rental home that Kent and I lived in, we painted all the walls before we moved in. I LOVED it. The kitchen was sea-foam green and it was THE cutest. After living there a year, I got way bored of the colors that were in our living room, so I painted the whole living room again. Sadly, about a month after I painted, we ended up moving into a different apartment. Kent and I went back and forth and back and forth on whether we wanted to paint the walls in our new apartment. You know what I said??? Screw it, life's short and I am painting the walls. So I painted the whole apartment in 2 days at 7 months pregnant. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID. There is nothing better than a coat of fresh paint. Life is way too short to be skipping out on the things that make you happy.
Here's a
link to the BEST painting tool ever. Yes, it actually works.
8 - Don't Let Other's Dictate Your Feelings
This is way easier said than done. However, I have learned how much happier you can be if you can just brush off other peoples actions. Yes, words and actions definitely hurt, but just remember that your happiness is truly in your own hands. Once again, "not your circus, not your monkeys."
9 - Diet Coke Fixes Everything
I tried to give up diet coke at the beginning of my pregnancy, but I learned that life's better when there's a coke in your hand. Nuff said.
10 - You Can Be Anything You Want To Be, But It's Usually Best To Just Be Yourself
I am still trying to figure out who the heck I am, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be a life long journey. I also really believe that we can be anything or anybody we want to be. However, I think that being yourself is always always a safe bet. I can say with assurance as I embrace who I am, what my core wants me to be, and as I accept what my actual abilities are rather than what my desired abilities are, I am at the most peace, and am most comfortable with myself.
So here's to 2016. To being our true selves, drinking lots of diet coke, learning a lot more about life and doing whatever it is that makes you happy, because quite frankly my friends, this life is much too short to be anything less than perfectly happy.
Sincerely,
