Hey everyone!
I have a tendency to avoid putting overly personal blog posts on my professional site, but since I am a writer, I feel it may be best to just go ahead and say what’s on my mind. I’ve always been the type to be hesitant about New Year’s Resolutions, but perhaps I just was thinking of the cliché resolutions rather than the ones that mattered to me. And while I can sit around and gripe about the fact that time is a construct and years don’t really mean anything, I realize I did learn quite a bit in 2016. So here are 16 things I learned in 2016:
In 2016 I learned…(how to echo answer. Just kidding, I learned that when I was 6 and haven’t used it since elementary school.)
- Sometimes you can’t improve your life in the way you want because of obstacles that are out of your control. When this happens, find a different way you can improve your life so that you still have something to be proud about.
- If you have dry skin, don’t use facial cleanser for oily skin because it makes your skin way more dry.
- Twitter is actually kind of a great place to exchange ideas.
- People can be drastically different in face-to-face interactions than through text (I guess I knew this before but I reaffirmed it).
- Sometimes the habits that you think are quirks are actually issues that are harmful to you and others. Losing these things does not mean losing yourself but rather freeing yourself and/or becoming a better person.
- “Great Lash” is actually a pretty bad mascara and not great at all. Stop using drug store mascara because no one can see your eyelashes.
- When you have anxiety, sometimes the “red flags” you’re seeing aren’t really there. But sometimes they are. And you may take longer to make a decision because of this but that’s okay.
- I learned that I’m very stubborn but I probably didn’t do enough about it due to said stubbornness. Hey, there’s always 2017.
- Sometimes you can look back on a situation that occurred years ago and realize something about that situation you didn’t realize before. This might be the best time to analyze things because you’re no longer in the moment. Instead of overthinking things in a way where emotions are attached, you’re able to look at things rationally.
- You literally can’t ever plan anything.
- I’m kind of over people who complain about the misuse of literally. I’m not unintelligent because I like to use the word “literally” a lot. It’s not like I use it in published pieces of writing. Aside from, you know, blog posts like this one.
- It’s okay not to tell everyone everything that’s on your mind. In fact, you’re apparently not supposed to do that. I’m not kidding when I say I LITERALLY (get over it, grammar snobs) learned that this year.
- There’s nothing wrong with a selfie or two. Or an Instagram feed that’s almost entirely selfies. (Although I still decided not to post my Instagram “best nine” when I realized it was a representation of my own narcissism before my very eyes).
- Apparently you’re supposed to prime your face before putting on makeup. I’m a noob, alright.
- Having a bunch of goals is great but if you don’t follow through it doesn’t mean anything.
- Whatever you choose to do, put your all into it. Don’t just end a list with a really cliché platitude. Oops, I’m a hypocrite.
Anyway, that’s all folks. This post was a tad late but I figured it’s better late than never. I hope you all have had a lovely start to the year! And if you haven’t, be like typical Zola and go on a pretentious lecture about how years don’t mean anything anyway. But in all seriousness, no matter what time of year it is, there’s always an opportunity to make tomorrow a better day. Or the next hour a better hour. Or the next minute…you get it. Here’s to an awesome 2017!
xoxo,
Zola