19 Things I Learned in 2019

Alright, here is the thing about 2019. It was a year like no other, truly. And truth be told, I don’t think there will surmount the year 2019 in my life (, but I’ll get back to you on that, I have a lot of life left to live).

But like anything good, there must be something equally as difficult. Or that is what I have come to learn at least. And with something hard, usually comes something to be learned.

2019 was a marvelous year, but 2019 was also a year of growth; like I said, a year of lessons. So, without further ado, here are nineteen things I learned in the year 2019.

1. It’s okay to fall apart. Soon enough I’ll tell you why this is number one on the list. However, until then, just trust me. Don’t try to do it all by yourself, you won’t be able to sustain it. Sometimes a big fat meltdown is what it takes to prove to you that you aren’t okay and that IS OKAY. Everyone has battles they are fighting, some hide it better than others, but truly, nobody can do it alone.

2. Uncomfortable is the best thing you can be. I say this with a grain of salt. What I mean: when you are uncomfortable, you’re learning, growing, and stretching in new ways. You are not meant to stay the same.

3. Let life surprise you. Nobody has got life figured out, not now, not ever, so don’t let them fool you. Life is exciting, let things excite you no matter how big or small.

4. Know yourself, know others. Love yourself, love others. When was the last time you really got to know yourself? The last time you actually figured out what you like/dislike, why you are the way you are, what you want out of life? That old saying is true, you can’t love others until you love yourself and I’d venture to say most of us don’t even KNOW ourselves. Take some time to learn who YOU are, you’ll be surprised what you find.

5. Notice the little things. Little things make people feel noticed and valued. Everyone sucks at remembering names, but try harder, when you use someone’s name it makes a difference. Even a waiter, barista, or clerk, if you use their name (on their name tag) it changes the whole transaction.

6. I am always taken care of. Back to point number one, there were a lot of points in 2019 where for lack of better words, shit hit the fan. BUT, time and time again, God proved to me that no matter the circumstance, I am ALWAYS taken care of.

7. If you can’t control it, don’t worry about it. I once heard someone define complaining as, “talking about something negatively with no intention of changing it.” Which, I think applies to worry too. As in, if there is nothing you can do about it, try not to worry about it, especially if you can’t (or won’t) change it.

8. If you don’t try, you won’t ever know. I hate doing things I’m bad at, but I love trying new things. I’ve discovered SO many things I’m bad at this year but had a lot of fun discovering those things. But I also learned a lot of things I love. I never would have known I was bad at it if I didn’t make a fool of myself first. Truth be told, there are a lot of things I like enough to keep doing even if I’m bad at it. In the same way, I wouldn’t have figured out the things I liked either.

9. You already made up your mind before you even started. Turns out, that book, The Little Engine That Could, (“I think I can, I think I can”) was up to something. You decide what you’re capable of before you even try something, you decide if you like someone before you even meet them, you decide if you like a food before you even try it, etc. So choose your mindset wisely.

10. What you put in, makes a difference I really, truly, believe that what you put into your life, your mind, and your body all have a huge difference in your life. When you listen to crap, read crap, watch crap, eat crap, guess what’s going to come out? Yep, crap. I’ve tried to be more intentional with what I put into my life so I actually like what I get from life. What you surround yourself with, is what you’ll become

11. YOU are the most important investment in your life. Back to the theme of YOU, make sure that you are really taking care of yourself. When you know yourself well enough to know the signs of burnout or a forthcoming meltdown, know what it takes to reset yourself! I’ve learned what it takes to run at a comfortable pace in my life and it rocks.

12. Alone time isn’t bad, but isolation is. As an extroverted person, I really dislike being by myself. It takes me 10x longer to do anything when there are people are around because people are my thing. BUT in 2019 I learned that being alone is often better than bad company. And get this — I learned to be okay with it. Being alone and doing whatever it is you do is really important, but make sure you’re not isolating yourself, that is when alone time can become harmful, not helpful.

13. Learn what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. To start, refer to point eight. Now what I mean here, is that you can’t be good at every single thing you do. And even if you’re good at it, it doesn’t mean you like it. So, learn what you’re good at and figure out what you suck at– then find someone who does it better than you and either give it to them or learn from them. Ie. I realized my strength is talking to people not behind the scenes stuff, so I tried to focus on that and outsource the behind the scenes stuff.

14. Learn when to say no. Hello, I’m extroverted, I’ll do just about anything, I have FOMO I used to say yes to everything. But now? Now I know that sometimes I say yes to avoid, to stay busy, to overcompensate, to do who knows what. And once I realized that I was doing that and causing myself to burnout in the process, I learned what I have to say no to. Sometimes FOMO will happen, but prioritizing something else is more important than missing out. Other times I don’t have the capacity and that’s okay. Or sometimes I just don’t want to.

15. The art of the hustle. I like to hustle, it speaks to me. I every part of me runs at 1000 MPH at any given point, my schedule, my thoughts, my mouth, all of it. BUT hustle isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes hustling makes you miss things, keeps you from resting, and pushes you past what you can actually do (not in a good way). You know that saying, work smarter not harder? That’s how I think we should treat the word hustle. Figure out how to do what you want to do in the most efficient way possible, but don’t overwork yourself unnecessarily.

16. You are the one who limits yourself. Have you ever heard the story of what limits an elephant? No? Well, read this. Basically, you’re the one keeping yourself in the same place or in that mood or from doing what you actually want to do. So do yourself a favor, untie the rope around your feet, around your thoughts, and around your heart.

17. Traveling happens through food and people. I’ve had the incredible privilege of traveling to 20+ countries all before my 21st birthday. I’ve been bitten by the travel bug. But I’ve learned that you don’t have to hop on a plane, train, or car to travel. You can travel by trying different foods (have you ever tried that Vietnamese or Indian restaurant you pass every day on your way to work?) and meeting new people (have you ever asked your co-worker, Vesna, about her life in Serbia before she moved here?).

18. You have the power to destroy and empower. Did you know YOU have the power to take someone down with your words, destroy them in every way? But you ALSO have the power to empower someone, to build them up, encourage them. Which one would you rather fuel?

19. The importance of confidence. One of my all-time favorite quotes is, “Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent” which was said by Eleanor Roosevelt. Your opinion of yourself is the most important thing, so guard it. Why in the world would you let someone else’s jealous thoughts taint the person God created YOU to be? Let your confidence shine, its about time.