Lessons from 2014

Happy New Year, friends! We made it to 2015! Here are a few of the things I've had on my mind these past few days. The above photo was taken by the Long Beach Museum of Art and my sweater is H&M.

Fear is one of the more important survival instincts
Fear usually means that there is something about your current circumstance that is concerning. While I was absolutely ready to graduate from college earlier this year, a very real fear of mine was being unemployed and idle back home in my Georgia suburb. As a result, I must have applied to at least 100 roles in various cities and industries. The fear forced me to dig deep into myself to find + create opportunities that would prevent me from realizing it. It's easy to ignore your fears because they can be crippling, but when channeled properly can create some impressive outcomes.

Don't be busy for the sake of being busy - Pause
I learnt a lot about the 'busy' trap this year: being busy with finals, busy networking, busy applying to jobs, and busy with work. We live in a society that rewards multi-tasking and encourages us to always be connected to work/social media/ etc. Every morning, the first thing I do is check my email even on days like Sunday when I don't expect anything important. It's important to know that "busy" is not an inevitable status of a high achiever, it's a choice. Stop and look around you. While excelling at work is great, it is just as important to keep up with your Youtube subscriptions, MirandaSings for example. It is just as important to press pause, whatever that means for you.

Alone and Lonely are very different
Aloneness is being honestly content in your own company. You can't define yourself by the people that surround you; doing so can be disastrous. Loneliness is not attached to the number of Instagram followers you have, or the likes you get.

Your 20s are for making "mistakes"
This is the time to break out of your comfort zone - move somewhere you've never been to, or seek opportunities that are outside of your bubble. Whether it's through Buzzfeed quizzes or tinder matches, now is them to aggressively seek self-awareness.  You can take big risks without being reckless.

Success is different for everyone 
My friend Robbie always talks about a difference between people that eat to live, and those that live to eat. Everyone has a different way of seeing the world and hence a different measure of success for themselves. Find what makes you tick, and don't apologize for it. I find it helpful to define success before I try to pursue it.

Don't compare yourself to others
Refer to the above point - Don't do it! It's not healthy. "I generally find that comparison is the fast track to unhappiness. No one ever compares themselves to someone else and comes out even. Nine times out of ten, we compare ourselves to people who are somehow better than us and end up feeling more inadequate." —Jack Canfield