In a time when everyone is making resolutions, I’m just
reflecting! Here are ten life lessons that I’ve learned this year… It may be
long, but it’s worth it! :)
10. Things get better
At the start of this year I was having some difficulties;
work, school, my purpose, friends and family... things just felt unsettled.
Things got so bad that I was walking around with a twitchy eye and upset
stomach for almost 8 whole weeks! For those of you who don’t know a repeated
eye twitch is the sign that you aren’t right! NO ONE’S eye should be twitching
for that length of time! So let’s just cut to the chase, I was really stressed
out and somewhat unhappy. I am usually an optimist so this type of mood, is out
of my nature and makes me a crabby patty to be around.
However, despite it all I stayed the course, and even more importantly
I prayed and never stopped praying (even when my faith was low). Now don’t get
me wrong my life is far from perfect, but I can assure you that things just got
better. It seems like when we are in the middle of a storm it feels like things
are going to last forever, but the truth is you’ve been in a storm before and
guess what? The sun came out again. No matter HOW BAD things get, we have to
remember that every storm will eventually run out of rain. And the icing on the
cake is that the worst storms usually bring out the best rainbows.
9. Travel
This one is simple; get out and see the world! This year I
was fortunate enough to experience six different countries in Europe. It was
amazing! Germany, Spain, France, Italy, The Vatican, and Monaco.. It was truly
the vacation of a lifetime and I must say that ROME. WAS. AMAZING! Don’t let
you legacy be limited to your location (I think I just preached a word, lol… if
you tweet that, just give me my credit j/k), but really seeing the world
changed me, you realize that life is bigger than your circle and what’s
happening in your zipcode. Get out there and see the world.
8. Don’t Waste Your
Time
I once REALLY REALLY REALLY liked this guy, I thought that he
was probably one of the best things since sliced bread, Chi flatirons, and red
matte lipstick.. I think you get it, I thought this guy was better than the
bomb (I mean I listed him up there with red matte lipstick… there are not many earthly
things I’m more enamored by) . A modern day prince if you asked me.

This lesson though REAL hard to swallow, was twofold for me because
it also taught me to not waste my time trying to make a circle fit into a
square. If a person does not want to spend their time with you, they WON’T. Try
real hard not to make excuses for why that person is not around and walk away.
I know I personally made mental excuse after mental excuse about why he was not
ever present in my life, and the cold hard truth is that he just didn’t want to
be. I just realized that I wasted a lot
of time, when I could have been out saving the world! #gameover
7. Love = Liberation

6. Believe them

So this year I cut off all my hair! This decision was doubly
dramatic for me, because I had been wearing a long curly weave for the last few
years. The process was actually pretty intense and sort of soul stirring.
However, it was something that I KNEW I had to do, I had lost the value of my
own hair and my own natural beauty and I needed something that would bring ME
back. I knew just taking the weave down was not enough so I chopped it all off.
Hands down, this was one of my best decisions of 2013! I am no longer hiding
under some artificial nest of hair… change can be REALLY good!
4. Let Life and Love Happen
Let me tell you a story.
This summer some of my friends and I decided to take a
summer vacation get away! This was going to be great; sun and fun on the beach,
what could be a better stress reliever? Well not quite, I had a huge paper due
before the weekend was over, so I had no choice but to bring my computer along.
On the day we were slated to leave, we
all had to arrive at the airport no later than 7am in order to catch the first
flight out. I woke up around 4:30am and by the time we reached the airport I
was a full-fledged crabby patty. Needless to say I was hungry and my eyes were
barely open, I’m a morning person, but this day I just wasn’t feeling it. I
grabbed something to eat and found a seat outside of our departure gate. Now,
usually I am running my mouth talking and full of life but this day I was just
out of sorts… sleepy and ready to get on with things. Just then two of my
friends who happen to have known me the longest time spotted a man walking up
to our gate with his kid. “Ohhh he’s so Martha’s type” one said. “He’s exactly
what she likes” the other said. I glanced up quietly, checked him out, and put
my head back down ignoring their comments. Yes, he was attractive, but I wasn’t
interested in any men at the moment, I just wanted to go back to sleep. They
chatted on for a few more moments and then let it go.

We exchanged email addresses and by following Monday we had talked
on the phone and made plans to hang out. Long story short; he was amazing. Like
behind amazing! We even got to hang out after we each got back home and everything was perfect.
Now as perfect as this story may seem, things didn’t work out. As fairytale as
things seemed I could have become disgruntled and upset, but I didn’t. There is
a very important moral to this story; just let life and love happen. Don’t try
to plan for it. Don’t run from it. And when things don’t work out don’t be
bitter!
3. It’s Okay to Fail

I think I have tried to do just about everything (well at
least in my mind I have). And much of what I have tried to do has failed. I
started a non-profit in 2009; that failed. I started an online store in 2012 (www.accessoryicon.com) , that’s about to go
out of business. The list could go on and on and on… But despite all of my
failures, I’m going to always keep trying again.
2. Stay Connected to Your Source
This year spiritually has been very interesting for me.
Although I never completely gave up on God, I had some times when my spirit was
low; I thought that I could do this life thing by myself. I don’t think I ever
would have come out and said that, but my actions showed what I really felt
deep down inside. I didn’t read my Bible
the way I should and I didn’t talk to God the way I should. I was just rolling
and sometimes trying to roll alone. But then there were times when I was deeply
connected with God and I leaned on him for support and I talked to him about
everything. To make a long story short, I was a roller coaster and He never
wavered! What a Mighty God we serve.
1. You are enough
In a world where we are constantly reminded that we aren’t tall enough, smart enough, wild enough,
pretty enough, rich enough, wise enough, thin enough, or cool enough. This year has taught me
that I am enough. No matter who you are, what you’ve done, or what you have
been through… YOU.ARE.ENOUGH.

Happy New Year :)