I’ll be honest, I don’t plan out my blog topics usually. I write based on inspiration, which can be great…and also stressful if the day comes to send it out and nothing is written yet. The other night I woke up at 2 a.m. with a GREAT blog topic, super heartfelt, and even had the first few lines and an overall outline in my head. I thought, “I should write that down. Nah, I’ll TOTALLY remember it when I wake up because it’s so good.” Famous last words. I still have no clue what I was going to write earlier this week.

So new topic: recapping what I learned in 2016 before being ready to move the fuck on.

1. If you were excited about living alone after your divorce, keep doing that.
2. Growing a business and starting a new relationship is an extreme challenge.
3. Loving yourself isn’t as abstract as it seems.
4. You really ARE the only person responsible for your happiness.
5. It’s okay to continue to outgrow people in order to be the best version of yourself.
6. You should achieve that goal you’ve always wanted to achieve…like run a half marathon.
7. Just because something ends doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.
8. It’s okay to ask for help.
9. It doesn’t HAVE to be hard to make friends in your 30s.
10. The key to EVERYTHING is to feel your feelings.
11. You are not 100% at fault for anything…ever.
12. It’s okay to forgive yourself for your part in any situation.
13. It’s okay to be hurt, but don’t let bitterness seep in.
14. Feelings won’t ACTUALLY kill you.
15. It’s okay to lean on others, but make sure you are supporting yourself.
16. Spirituality isn’t as scary once you’re on the path.
17. Shredding chicken in a food processor is WAY easier than using forks.
18. The number on the scale doesn’t bring you true happiness.
19. Every person in our life is an assignment for us. We choose whether we learn through joy or pain.
20. If your dreams are part of your mission, then no matter how many times you fail you will keep getting up to try it again.
21. Just because your life isn’t what you thought it would be at almost 35 doesn’t mean you did it wrong.
22. Just rip off the damn band-aid…no matter what it is.
23. Letting go is hard, but the uncertainty of holding on can be far more painful.
24. It’s ok to hold on until you know. Nobody else is living your life so their opinions don’t matter.
25. Nobody’s life is perfect on Facebook. Focus on what YOU want, not what others have.
26. If you can’t visualize your future, you may not actually want the things you THINK you want.
27. Boundaries are important. Set them, even with family.
28. Your spiritual energy is a REAL thing. Protect it and don’t leak it out to others.
29. You can’t manifest with negative energy in your life.
30. Meditate.
31. If your cat is playing with something in the dark at 4 a.m. and you don’t recognize it, don’t touch it. It could be poop or it could be a mouse. Touching it never makes sense.
32. Don’t be surprised when your path ends up the way your tarot reading said it would.
33. Find comfort in Angel Numbers.
34. Ask the Universe for fun signs.
35. Do something that scares the SHIT out of you…like apply for the Chicago Marathon and get picked.

2016 was hard. My business declined, I ended a relationship, and the personal growth I went through was extremely painful. I won’t say, “It can’t get any worse” because I know better, but it HAS to get better. My motto is always: It will all work out because it has to. That is the truth. I learned a lot of lessons in 2016 and I plan on showing the Universe I don’t need those assignments again.

2017 is a year 1 (2016 was a year 9, a year of completion), a new beginning. Bring on January 1. It’s time to go big and manifest all the shit I’ve been playing too small to believe I can have.

Time to sage the shit out of this place!