Hope For 2016

Approximate time reading this post: 3 minutes

I know what you’re thinking and no this blog post is not full of new year’s resolutions. I would just like to look back a little on what this year brought and precisely what I have learned through 2015. I always think the days approaching the new year are slightly odd since I wonder if we are supposed to look back at what made this year or what is to come in the next?

Like most of my peers, this was one of the most difficult years for me in academics, extracurriculars, emotionally, and everything else I seemed to regale the readers of this blog on. But like every difficult situation, we live and we learn through them. At 20 years old, I feel accomplished to have learned as much about myself and my surroundings this year than any of the years before.

Photos by Claire Goldberg

Outfit Details: Turtleneck and sleeveless open poncho, Forever 21; ripped jeans, Hollister; wedge booties, H&M; earrings set, RocksBox.

My top list of the most important things I did learn in 2015 include the following (and in no particular order and also because I love lists):

1. Learning how to drive.

2. The concept of doing less with more. Which I want to practice much more prominently in this coming year.

3. “Just because things get busy doesn’t mean you have to stop living. You just need to prioritize.” Which is something my sister Claire told me near the end of my academic struggles.

4. “You don’t have to let your heart be broken after someone is honest with you.” My mom reassured me of this after an end to any type of relationship.

5. Take opportunities you are given and do the most with them. But you do not have to take every single opportunity that comes your way.

6. Know your limits, having them doesn’t make you incapable compared to others.

7. Don’t forget about your friends and don’t forget to ask them about their day too.

8. Give gratitude more than anything else whether it’s face to face, an email, a card in the mail, just remember the people who got you here first and foremost.

9. Embracing change: practice stepping outside my comfort zone more often.

10. Having dreams isn’t realistic because it’s always important to support positive social change.

I can’t thank my friends, family and mentors enough for their guidance for me and my actions this year. Simply starting this blog is something I did because of those individuals. And the purpose of Hope For Mondays is something I hope I can hold onto and pass around with my silly hashtag, #hopeformondays, or give insight to others if they too share similar and even opposite thoughts. If anything, this blog has really helped narrate the ideas in my head when it came to making decisions and solving problems I encountered.

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In 2016 I am looking forward to practicing and even failing at the top ten lessons I learned in 2015 to see just how the new year responds to them. I wish everyone a new year of fresh starts, multiple new favorite songs, opportunities to accomplish personal goals, lessons learned, and 52 hopeful Mondays in 2016.