15 Things 2015 Has Taught Me

Of course I could've tweeted this, but who doesn't love an end of the year list? For me, the year of 2015 was a year of revelation, reflection and restoration. With that being said, here's what I learned this year.15. Stay prayed up. Prayer changes things. This year, life really challenged me & within those challenges I had to develop a more serious & consistent prayer life as well as a better relationship with God. Prayer really works y'all. I learned that God will NEVER forsake you and never leave you alone. All you have to do is reach out to him.14. If you're going to pray for something, make sure your actions align with those prayers. Actions will ALWAYS speak louder than words. For example, you can't pray for a financial increase if you are still spending frivolously. You can't pray that negativity gets removed from your life if you still dwell in it. Make sure you are in the position to receive the blessings you are praying for.13. Be more proactive, less reactive. This applies to fighting for social justice. When we fight, we want to be clear what we are fighting for & PROACTIVE in the strategies we use to fight injustice. Simply reacting out of anger with no clear plan only leads to unproductivity.12. You don't have to clap back all the time. The energy we use to drag the ignorant is energy that can be used to do something else. Block, delete and move on with life.11. Don't compare yourself to others, your journey is yours for a reason. Success is a journey, not a destination. We may see those around us succeeding in areas we want to succeed in and wonder what's wrong with us. But there is no reason to compare yourself to them. You don't know the things they go through, or what they have to sacrifice. Just continue working hard, things will fall into place in due time.10. Stop living in fear. What's the point in wanting something out of life if you are too scared to really go get it? The only person in your way is you. If your dreams terrify you, then GOOD. That means that they are exactly what you need to get out your comfort zone.9. Give people room to grow & change. People can change, people can grow. Stop bringing up the old them when they are trying to do so.8. Practice self care. If you are someone who takes care of a lot of people, make sure to take some time out for yourself as well. Learn what makes you happy, and indulge in it often. I promise it will keep you sane.7. Setbacks often mean something greater is coming. I got rejected from a lot of things this year, but I believe that it is because something better was in store for me. Rejection hurts of course, but it's not the end of the world.6. Give yourself time to grieve. When something traumatizing happens in our life, we never really take the time to process it. But if we are to be mentally whole individuals, then we must grieve properly.5. Counseling works. Sometimes you need more than prayers & encouraging words. If you have access to affordable counseling services, use them to get to the root of your problems.4. Love yourself before you love anyone else. This is pretty self explanatory. Show yourself some love. Heal from that past pain and bitterness. Your future relationships will thank you.3. You are never too old to learn and unlearn. You are never too old to learn something new and you are never too old to unlearn something problematic. Give yourself that room to grow.2. Your circle is a reflection of you. Check yourself, check your friends. Are you all good accountability partners toward one another? Are you all uplifting and inspiring one another? If not, make some changes.1. Be mindful of who you let into your space. More than anything, pay attention to who you let into your mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual space. ENERGY IS TRANSFERRABLE, and everyone will not have your best interest at heart, no matter what they say. Pay attention to actions. Never settle on anyone and anything that may not be good for you.So now I want to hear from you! It doesn't have to be 15 things, but what are some things you learned this year?