Lessons

"The ocean does not apologize for it's depth and the mountains don't seek forgiveness for the space they take and so, neither shall I." - Becca Lee. Living without regrets can be something spontaneous and often can be questionable, but can have promising results. Recently I've started to live without regrets, ive started to want to ask for forgiveness rather than permission to ultimately be able to live my life to the fullest without anyone impeding me. But would it be crazy if we did what we told ourselves we were going to do and if we listened to what we tell others? We seek an abundance of things in others with disregard to how those molds fit ourselves. Even once we realize what needs to be changed or what we want to change, "change" is difficult, terrifying, and requires effort. Learn to fully be the best version of you without having to use any filters for others. Over the years here are some things i've learned whole heartedly:

Fear is a theif. Fear will make you second guess, have doubts, be hesitant, and hold you back. Don't let fear ruin what could've been and what could be. Along with that don't have fear of missing out, at some point this captures us all but there is a reason you didnt go and that gut feeling is probably right. Anything that you're meant to witness you will witness, time among other things is not going to pass you by.

Dont settle. If something proves to be a challenge I often find myself backing down and settling for less; recently I decided to change this and was thrilled with the results. Push yourself and your limits, you reach further than you may think.

Love others. A lot of people get hurt by love and by a lot I mean basically everyone, but when has loving someone ever been a mistake? When has it ever been wrong? Everyone deserves love and everyone receives love in a different way.

Peace is invaluable. Peace will be desired at your toughest moments; but with that being said you can't expect God to be the source of your peace if the world is the source of your happiness. Pray for peace and chase after what calms you, not the source of whats making you tired or struggling.

Some days are going to suck. A saying that has kept me comfort over the years has been, "you never have to do today again." You may not have loved today, but nonetheless you endured it. You did today and that's worth something, and in a way if you never experienced hard times/days think about how much less you would appreciate today and the good days.

Mental health matters. School can wait, work can wait, peer pressure can wait, relationships can wait, you matter and you should never make yourself wait to be taken care of. This was a major thing I undertook over the past year, I noticed that too many times would i spread myself thin to go an extra mile for a friend, to pass my classes, go to school for 40 hours and work for 30 hours, to be involved in extra curriculars, and make time for others instead of getting a moments rest and often for their sake and not my own.

Change Can Be Inevitable: Change is going to happen whether we like it or not and unfortunately the only thing we can do is react. You have a choice to accept that change or resent it. As im in my senior year of highschool a wave of changes is coming my way; personally i dont really know if im prepared to have my friends leave me, i dont know if im ready for more responsibility, i dont know what the future will hold and the thought of that can be terrifying- can being the key word. It can also be exciting; im being given the opportunity to make new friends, find my way in the world, go into a career i love, become independent, and so much more. Change hurts, but perspective can be a nice band aid.

Your feelings are valid. Personally I am a very closed off person, If Im upset or something bothers me I'll keep it to myself because I either feel that my feelings aren't important or that I'm ridiculous for feeling the way I do. I couldn't tell myself a bigger lie; the ironic thing is I would never tell anyone that their feelings aren't important, so why would I tell myself something that I wouldn't tell others? It's human nature to lie to ourselves for a better end result; its unhealthy and if it really didnt hurt then it wouldnt matter. It hurt because it mattered.

Overall:

It's priceless to know who you are and thrive in yourself.

It's free to want change, it's costly to make a change.

Hard work pays off.

To wrap it all up dont forget that growth, lessons, and healing comes in every way imaginable and you arent an acception; let this year be living proof that you have grown. Grown from the circumstances you've been dealt, choices you love, decisions you regret, people you've lost, and most of all the abundance of wisdom you've gained from lessons over the years.