As I grow older, passing years become less of a bittersweet memory and more so of a new chance at trying [anything really] again.
Personally, 2016 was a year of growth. I finished up my last year of high school, said goodbye to friends who I know I’ll only only keep up-to-date with because of social media, started my first semester of college, mainly stuck with my old friends but occasionally met new ones, and made small promises to myself to start living happily.
Needless to say, the first semester of college was slightly rough, only because I was hard on myself- I wanted to know the right answers to everything and wanted to possess the key to success before really figuring out what would make myself happy first.
As I sit on my bed, typing this at 3 am, I look back on the past year and see how much I’ve changed. My bad habits of falling asleep past 3 am because I could, lazily watching TV shows in bed because I could, and procrastinating until the end [because I thought I could] were dramatically fixed during my first semester of college. Fixing all these small problems and building a healthier lifestyle really put me on the right road. It was because of this that I started waking up early and appreciating the new day, eating meals without having to stare at my phone (because we all millennials seem to do that constantly nowadays), and learning to find inner peace on my own.
By the end of 2016, I figured out the way to my happiness. I began to see the bright side to every situation and grew thankful for everything, whether it be the weather or the fact that I had time to spare.
If you saw me in the year 2014, I probably would have been the type of kid who cruised through life. Now, I don’t find that the case. I am appreciating life for what it is and cannot wait for what will happen the next day- exams, essays, studying, fun with friends, sleeping in, and jogging around campus are all things I am actually excited for.
I guess that is what happens when you start looking forward to things in life instead of looking back on the past. You become optimistic.
So, in all, 2016 was a big year for me, and it was actually one big chapter of my life. Now that it’s finished, I hope to fill 2017 with much more exciting news.
2017: What a year it will be. And I can’t wait to see what I’ll do.
The quote that keeps me going:
“I am going to make everything around me beautiful – that will be my life.”
Thanks to all of you who have stuck with me this past year. I truly appreciate all of you,
Roseann
(originally published January 4, 2017)
