Fifty Two...

52 Lessons I have learned in the last 52 weeks...

52. The "Right" decision is not always an easy decision
51. The shower is the number one place to cry
50. Writing is just one way to cope with feelings, music is another
49. Make lots of memories
48. Heartbreak is not contagious- and contrary to popular belief, its not a terminal illness either
47. Travel, doesn't have to be extravagent, just get away
46. Its ok to be mad at God, let Him know when you are- He already knows...
45. Those cheesy motivational, encouraging quotes- really do help
44. You don't have to be happy, but always be thankful
43. God places people in your life when you need them most
42. Friendships change... and that is ok!
41. You only get one chance to live this life, its too long to be stuck or do things you don't want too...
40. The bigger picture is a lot better than you can imagine.
39. Redheads have more fun!
38. Its true when they say "Sometimes you don't know what you have until its gone"
37. The first meal you should cook a man is popcorn :)
36. Too much tequila is always a bad idea...
35. There is always a reason to shop: you're sad, happy, stressed, bored, excited, broke... you get the picture
34. Splurge on yourself, you deserve it!
33. If a guy tells you his name means "storyteller"- that should be your first sign to walk away
32. Being an Aunt is the BEST thing in the world!
31. "Friends are angels who lift us up to our feet when our own wings have trouble remembering how to fly."
30.  Let your guard down and LOVE... the worse that can happen is you miss an opportunity to grow
29. Always schedule Girls Nights in pen on your calendar, you deserve that time!
28. You will smile again, even when you thought you wouldn't
27. What once was the worst thing to happen in your life, might be the best thing- God is working upstream in your life, you don't always see the reason for the pain until much later
26. "I am just a tree in a story about a forest"- Donald Miller, A million miles in a thousand years
25. Shellac manicures are addicting
24. A man should ALWAYS open your doors, and you should always say Thank You
23. When you are heartbroken, common sense is not always common
22. God has a plan, just need to have faith that His works better than mine
21. His plan will ALWAYS work better than mine
20. It truly is better to have loved and lost, than never love
19. Blogging is a great way to look back and see where you've been and write where you are going
18. Dream. Big. 
17. Start living your better story when you decide you need too
16. Graduating college is scarier than you think it would be
15. Hope is Faith on Fire
14. When you walk into a room, see everyone as friends you haven't met yet
13. Mom is always right, Dad can make anything alright
12. Be active. Stay Happy.
11. High Heels do wonders for your self esteem
10. "Every flower that blooms has to go through a whole lot of dirt."
9. Be Patient. There is no time line. and don't freak out when you don't know where you are going, you are heading somewhere even when you think you are standing still
8. Be a friend, when you need a friend. "We all need someone who gives us the courage to be who we're meant to be."
7. "It costs nothing to dream, and everything not too."
6. Tell those you love, you love them as often as possible
5. Try something new as often as you can.
4. Being single isn't half that bad.
3. Don't let fear in, let Love in.
2. "Friendship isn't about whom you've known the longest, its about who came and never left your side." <3
1. That Love you have been looking for, its God...

and one for good luck- Always Love. 



I probably could have put more thought into these, but they were the first things to come to my mind. I have learned a lot, and changed a lot during this last year... A lot of the changes have been documented on this blog, and a lot of them have been internal but overall, I wanted to share with you some of the lessons I have learned this last year...

Potential

When you have as many ideas, thoughts, worries, conversations with yourself as I do, it makes blogging really easy.

I woke up with so many ideas of things I needed to talk about.
As I get a little older, I am realizing that I can not bottle stuff up
It is no good for me. I need to get it out in the open and face it head on.

I was talking to a good friend one day and she gave me a really good piece of advice that I am hanging on to right now. It is helping me make the best decisions for myself. This is not exactly what my friend said, but it is how I interpreted it, and how I have changed it to fit my circumstances...

"Don't rely or bet on someone else's potential for your life. Most of the time they never see the potential you see in them, and the will rarely ever reach their full potential."

I have spent a lot of my life relying on other peoples potential to be who I see them as.
And I am very guilty of only seeing the good in people (which isn't necessarily bad, unless its giving them too much credit)
I can't continue to bet on someone else's potential
I just need to worry about reaching my own full potential and all the pieces will fall where they are supposed too.

Oh, the Places You'll Go

 

Everyone needs a cheerleader

Sometimes you don't realize until its too late

Who your real cheerleaders are... 

Oh, the Place You'll Go- Dr. Seuss

"You'll get mixed up, of course, 

as you already know. 

You'll get mixed up 

with many strange birds as you go. 

So be sure when you step, 

Step with care and great tact

and remember that Life's

a Great Balancing Act. 

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. 

And never mix up your right foot with your left."

Solution...

Be a solution. Not a problem.

Life will just be easier if you are always working towards an answer rather than adding to a problem.