Things I Learned in 2015

1. So many of us feel the necessity of hitting certain goalposts in life at a certain age & if we don’t, we feel like we’ve failed. Some of us are late bloomers & that is ok. All we can ask of ourselves is our best, whatever that may be. As Bon Jovi says: “Welcome To Wherever You Are”.
2. Learning to accept my limitations. This is an ongoing process. There is a difference between acknowledging that you have some limitations & accepting them. I acknowledged & was depressed about my limitations for years, feeling that it made me less of a person. Accepting your limitations is not about giving up on yourself either. It’s about not beating yourself up because of them. It’s about breaking an endless & debilitating cycle of self-loathing.
3. Hitting a milestone age isn’t necessarily as scary as it may seem. It can be freeing. I was scared of the big four oh, but it turned out to be a good year.
4. Mistakes happen. Chill! This ties in with accepting my limitations & is another ongoing process, but I’m gradually getting better at not being so hard on myself.
5. Imagination & getting lost in thought are beautiful things, but over-thinking is self-defeating. Seriously, this is one of my biggest weaknesses. I’ll remember something I did years ago & start beating myself up for it. I feel like I’ve made progress this year, but, once again, it’s an ongoing process. Now, when I start down that path, I give myself a mental slap. “Gloria, how many years ago did this happen? Does anyone but you even remember this anymore? Not likely. Everyone makes mistakes. You are not unworthy because of a mistake. Just STOP!”
6. Being an introvert does not mean that I’m bad, boring, dislike people, etc. This was a big one for me this year. Learning to embrace my quiet nature. I’ve learned a lot about introversion this year & I’ve learned that some of my biggest strengths (intense focus/concentration, vivid imagination, writing, etc.) are because of it. (Not that extroverts can’t possess these strengths, but they are especially common among introverts.)

I guess that’s it folks, thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts on this piece or lessons you learned this year in the comments. 😄