16 in 2016

This year, just like the previous one, was in some aspects eye-opening. I want to share 16 things this year taught me, things I want to keep an eye on so I don't make the same mistakes again. In some cases it was more positive year than the previous one, in some cases not but I can't be really mad at it, because it's only as good as I make it.

1. Negative energy only attracts negative things. I’m used to focus on the negative things because I’m the biggest pessimist ever but it’s actually not good. I know it’s hard sometimes to focus on the good things when the situation is really not good and the only thing you want to do is to hide in your bed and never go out, but focusing on the good aspect is the only way how you get out of the slump. It’s really hard but really important. 

2. If you want to have a friend, be a friend. I used to rely on my friends to come up with plans and to invite me to events but I realized this year that that’s not how it works. Nah, if you want your friends to care about you and to invite you somewhere, you have to care and invite them as well. 

3. Don’t build up negative emotions…. Otherwise you’ll blow up and it’s not going to be pretty. That’s my biggest weakness, because instead regularly getting the negative emotions out of my system I just store them inside and the it all comes out and not only I feel bad but I also hurt someone. 

4. Worry less about the problems of others. My second biggest weakness is that I worry about other people’s weakness as if they were mine. Sometimes they are problems of my friends or I worry because I can’t help my brother study for his exam. I know it’s not my fault because I’m at uni and I can’t help them and they could probably sort their problems themselves but I still do care. 

5. Think about your motivation. Motivation can be sometimes deceiving and I tend to do things for the wrong reasons. In the end, I could get what I want and realize that I’m not really happy with it and that I’m still not satisfied. I learned to do things because I genuinely like doing them not because of what they can bring me or because other people think I should do them. 

6. Think about the people in your life. Are they beneficial or do they just fill the empty space? It’s good to sort out your friends from time to time and get rid of the people that suck the good energy out of you or those that have negative influence on you. 

7. Don’t change just because you want to impress someone or because you want to be the way someone else wants you to be. It’s too easy to be critical of yourself and change who we are just to impress someone. It’s pointless. If they don’t like us, their fault. 

8. Get your eyes off the phone and look around. Watch the clouds dancing around the sky and the birds playing in the trees. Look at the beauty of the world. 

9. Don’t be ashamed of what your hobbies are. Sometimes it’s hard to admit to people that I love taking photos of books for my bookstagram or that I’m a huge bookworm or that I’m writing a book, but 2016 taught me that I have nothing to be ashamed of. Those things make me happy and I’m passionate about all of them. They make me who I am. Unique and interesting. 

10. Drink lots of water, it’s really good for you. 

11. It’s okay not be okay. It’s okay to feel down because everybody feels that way from time to time but it’s important to know how to get out of the slump and not wallow in depression.

12. Curses don’t reduce the anger, they only encourage it. 

13. People can be stupid and I can’t do anything about it. It’s useless to get angry at them, just laugh at them. 

14. The only one who stops you from getting what you want is you. It might sound like a cliché but it’s true. All the other obstacles can be beaten but if I don’t start, I won’t finish it. If I don’t sit behind my laptop and write my story, I won’t finish it. 

15. Don’t focus on things you don’t have, focus on those you have. Not every person can be so lucky as I am and most of the time I’m not aware of it. It’s important to realize this and be happy with what I got than cry over things I want but can’t have. 

16. Laugh is medicine for everything. Especially when you’re crying from it and your stomach is hurting.

Let's discuss: What did 2016 teach you? Was it a good one or a bad one?