A Long Road Ahead

In 2018, I'd say that a lot has been accomplished, but I desire to do more in the future. For me, what's most important has been surrounding yourself with positives influences, staying inspired, motivated, and driven. Obviously, goal-setting and prioritization are very important, but the mental drive and ambition to achieve greater I believe is key to success. 

No Need to Compare

To be completely honest, in this modern day and age, due to the influences of the internet and the abundant number of social media apps, many people innately compare their lives with others. However, this is a negative way to approach your life because you should live your own life and go at your own pace. You don't need to measure how successful you are or how happy you are with anyone else. Everyone should really focus on themselves and as long as you're content with the way your life is going, that's all that really matters. Some people may progress faster in their life, but just because they are doesn't mean that you're doing something wrong. It just simply means that you are going at a different pace. It's not a race to the finish line, it's all about being able to get to the finish line. Sounds cliche and all but, everyone really experiences life differently and you have to realize that the more you compare your life with others, the less content you'll be because you can't emulate the 'exact' same experiences. Life is all about making what have out of it and you have to learn to understand to value your own personal experiences more than anyone else's. So don't undervalue your self-worth, ever.

Things Don't Always Go As Planned

Within life, no matter how much you plan in advance, there are always unforeseen roadblocks and obstacles. I've learned this during the past year on numerous occasions. Actually, this past Saturday I was supposed to run a full marathon, but just 4 days before the race, I injured my left knee playing in an adult soccer league. Did I foresee this when I signed up for the marathon over a year ago? No. Did I see this happening when I ran to train for the marathon? No. Did I want this to happen? No. In the end, sometimes you don't get to do all the things you wanted to do simply due to unforeseen events and uncontrollable circumstances. However, it's about bouncing back and being able to come back stronger for next time. I'm sure everyone has experienced this in the past. Anyways, these setbacks are always meant for greater comebacks. Don't worry and don't dwell in the past, move forward in your life and look to only improve. We don’t always get to control what happens to us however, we are always able control the way we interpret what happens to us and the way we respond to them. Staying positive no matter what happens is so important.

Negative Experiences are Invaluable

As we grow as individuals, we experience so many head scratching dilemmas, honest mistakes, and sometimes major screw-ups that all lead to negative consequences. However, with each and every mistake and negative experience, you can learn so many valuable lessons in life. And really, it is through these negative experiences that allows us to develop both personally and professionally and allow us to grow to become a better individual. We should therefore embrace these negative experiences in our lives to lead us to bigger and greater things in life instead of neglecting them. In my opinion, it's all part of self-improvement. Stay resilient and take your negative experiences as a challenge to succeed and accomplish more in the future. Always look for the bright side after a negative occurrence and learn how to avoid making the same mistake in the future. Learn how to become a better decision maker. Learn how to become a positive influence to others. I firmly believe that there's always room for growth in each and every person.