An Ode to 2016 and 21 Things To Take Away From It.

1. If you struggle with something, then you struggle with it. You are not weak or inadequate for struggling with things others don’t find challenging. 

2. Everything should add value to your life. Everything. If you can't justify its purpose it has to go. This includes people.

3. If you’re trying to convince someone to be with you, you're eventually gonna be trying to convince them to stay.

4. Stop opening your doors for toxic people under the guise of seeking closure. Closure is the gift you give yourself when you've been brave enough to close a door that needed to be closed.

5. It is not your job to keep everyone else happy.
It is not your job to keep everyone else happy.
It is not your job to keep everyone else happy.

6. It is not a sign of loyalty to endure abuse or cruelty or one-sided relationships/friendships.

7. It's taken most of us 20+ years to reconcile who we are. You shouldn't have to heavily craft a version of yourself for people to like or fall in love with you.

8. It's totally heathy to miss things and not want them back.

9. Don't accept someone's emotional unavailability as a challenge. If you can't meet them where they're at then send them off with love.

10. No one has it all the way together, no one.Take solace in that. There is no value in comparing. We're all working on our very best selves.

11. You don't get to choose the version of people you love best. Folks are who they are. Either love them or leave them where they're at.

12. You can't break yourself open for folks who won't stick around long enough to see you whole again.

13. Its okay to have seasons. You dont have to be blooming all the time.

14. What worked for you before may not work anymore. Be open & flexible to shifting what is no longer serving you.

15. We all need to give ourselves permission to be wherever we are when we’re there, whoever we are in this moment & claim the right to evolve at our own pace.

16. Creativity requires courage.

17. The wrong person will have you convinced that you're asking for too much. You're not.

18. Let this be the year that we stop telling people they aren't deserving of love unless they love themselves. Everyone is deserving of love, even if they're in repair.

19. You'll love someone so intentionally and they'll change into the person you always knew they could be...for someone else. It's a very hard truth.

20. It is not overreacting to ask for what you want & need. How many times have you suffered because you didn't ask for what you wanted or needed? Transparency can be uncomfortable & scary & make you feel vulnerable & anxious but speaking your truth & asking for what you need is power.

21.Surrender to timing. Know that what's for you will be yours when the time is right and not sooner. Show up as you are in this moment & let that be enough.