What I Learned in 2015

It’s okay to not follow the plan.

This is hard for me to follow, and I’m still struggling with it; I like to know what’s going to happen before it happens. But if that was always the case, life would be extremely boring. It’s impossible to know everything ahead of time, even though sometimes I wish I could.

I’m probably overthinking it.

And when I say probably, I mean definitely, because I overthink everything. I’ve got to put down the notepad and the 12,000 internet tabs I’ve got open, and go outside or talk to someone. They may have a fresh view on it that I haven’t thought of yet. Or the answer is so obvious, it’s staring me right in the face and they are thinking, “Duh.”

I’m a grown ass lady, and I can do what I want.

There’s no one to tell me what I can’t do, now that I live with only my husband, myself, and two sweet kitty cats. If I want to sing to my cats and drive wherever I want to travel one day, I get to decide that.

You don’t have to be successful at all the things.

Pick a thing or two and try being successful at it. If that means you don’t do another thing, that’s okay.

Travel is fun and adventure is necessary, but enjoy the habits of being home.

There is hardly any better feeling than coming home after a long trip. It makes me appreciate everything I missed while I was gone. Every day cat snuggles and watching Netflix should not be under-appreciated.

What worked for other people may not work for me.

I often cannot stop myself from wondering what would happen if I did exactly what another person did, but no one person follows exactly the same path. Also, what makes me happy is not going to make another person happy.

First, you dye your hair; then, you quit your job.

I tend to build up pressure very quickly, although not that often. When I became unhappy at work, it happened so fast, I didn’t see it coming. One day, I didn’t like my hair color, and the next day I couldn’t stand coming to work. Really, what I think I was concerned about was feeling stuck in the same place at work, so I was looking for changes I could make elsewhere. Next time, I will look for warning signs and hopefully be more aware of how I’m feeling at work and what I can do to change it.

It’s not nearly as big a deal as I think it is.

Relax and stop freaking out, because no one else thinks it’s that big a deal. Go look at something else for a moment and relax.

I am looking forward to being a part of whatever my little family has in store for us next year.

I hope you’ve had a good year and am wishing you a happy New Year!