2015 for me was the year of challenges, changes, and loss. I broke down, then built myself back up. For every challenge, I have seen great reward. Every change resulted in new knowledge. And every loss allowed for another gain.
I learned it was okay to not be okay. I began to let people in to help me. I recognized that everyone has their struggles. It became apparent to me that sometimes you just have to let people go, and move on without them. Sometimes that’s better for the both of you, and that’s okay. Once you move on from toxic relationships and decide to push yourself in new ways you could have never imagined, you will grow and fall in love with a new reality. Once you overcome battles that you have with yourself in your head you will find a new love for yourself. Once you challenge yourself to work harder, your accomplishments will be meaningful and significant.
Last year I hit a lot of hard points, I lost a loved one, I said goodbye to friends I thought I would have forever, I was sad far too often, and I struggled with my self image and worth. But in all of that time, in facing these issues head on, I gained even more.
I developed a stronger love for the family that surrounded me with compassion and for the beauty of new life after gaining two new nieces. I let go of people to build stronger relationships with supportive best friends that will never fail to be at my side no matter what I need. I fell in love for the first time, and that to me is beautiful. I took chances and worked hard in order to create great opportunities for myself and for my future. I started thinking about what I wanted in the long run out of life and got excited.
I fell in love with being alive.
At this moment in time you can do whatever you want and be whoever you chose to be. Fall in love with the idea of that. Fall in love with the life you have. Realize what is around you. That is my challenge for you this year. I challenge you to:
- Embrace what you have, and work with every fiber of your being for what you want. Don’t let this year pass you by. Make it into a beautiful display of what you are capable of. Â
- Don’t focus on the negatives of life, recognize what you have. Sure things just suck sometimes, but in those moments remember what you have to be grateful for. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s something that really matters. Don’t allow yourself to be continually negative based off of what you do or don’t have. Take a moment, breathe, and think hard.Â
- Grow to actually love yourself. Sure we can all look in the mirror and pick out at least a handful of things that we don’t like about ourselves, but make it a goal to stop doing that. Be kind to yourself. Your body is beautiful, inside and out. You are smarter than you think and stronger than you will ever know. Find some way to appreciate that in yourself. Notice these little things and soon they will be the big things.Â
- Enrich your life. In one way or another, enrich yourself. Whether it’s through friendship, love, knowledge, or experience, enhance the life you live. Be more than what you are, be what you are capable of. Test boundaries and push yourself out of your comfort zone. It is only then that you will see true reward and satisfaction.
- Realize that nothing will ever be perfect. You are enough as is. You will never be able to complete everything that you wish to, and that’s okay. Challenge yourself to be the best you can be, but nothing will ever be exactly what you want. There will never be a perfect medium in life. Accept that you are enough, and that perfection is never achievable and a huge burden will be taken off your back.
- Be more honest and open. With yourself and others. Don’t close yourself off to the world. Allow people to see you for who you really are and don’t shy away from that. Everyone has their own struggles, challenges, and difficulties. If we as a society become more open about that, we will also become more compassionate with one another, and in the long run more compassionate with ourselves.
So there you have it, six challenges to improve in twenty sixteen (get it, see what I did there 😉 ) that will actually make a difference. See the world from a different light, and take this all as an opportunity to make a change. Set resolutions that will make a difference in your life, for the long run. Ones you can keep that will make you appreciate yourself more. Be positive, happy, loving, compassionate to others, but also be that way towards yourself. You deserve it, too. You deserve to be happy, and you especially deserve to love yourself.
Featured Image via Unsplash
