9 Things my 26th Year Taught Me

1. Forgiveness is Vitamin C.

2. Everyone can pat you on the back, but it's most important when you do. And the little things DO count--somewhere there is someone struggling with something that comes naturally to you.

3. Don't wait until I'm ready or the conditions are perfect to jump. Just do it.

4. I don't have to fit into anyone's box--not even my own. I am multidimensional. I wear many hats. I can be in bed by 8 one night and out until 6 another. I can feel like an artist one day and the art the next. I can listen to Lianne La Havas one day, the next, Aretha Frankilin, then Jeezy--It's okay!

5. Ask for what I want! No one is a mind reader. The Bible says "...you have not because you ask not." I have learned that closed mouths definitely don't get fed! Even things I desire in my spiritual life fall under this principle. Ask God for what you want in Jesus' name and He will start to move in your favor!

6. It's okay to move on from what you've outgrown: clothes, hairstyles, people (types of people), habits--it's okay to let go of the things that don't stimulate or excite the person that you are now.

7. In a social-media-crazed generation, don't feel pressured to show everything off. This includes my body, my relationships, and my projects that I'm working on. The attention may seem alluring but it's okay to reserve things for your personal life or until you complete what you're working on. You don't have to share every detail.

8. This too, Shall Pass. This was a really hard year for me. It was challenging in so many ways and I felt the most hopeless and lost as I ever have. This year I suffered from depression, anxiety, and felt like I had no control or direction in my life. I, of course, had my good days. However, overall it was unarguably a hard year. It did not last. If you're going through that now, understand and accept IT IS ONLY FOR A SEASON!

9. Be grateful! Oh my goodness, this is the most important thing EVER! I have been so focused on the goals that I've set for myself that I tend to downplay the things that I have already accomplished and am currently doing. I heard a sermon by Bishop T.D. Jakes saying that you can't keep asking God to give you more when you aren't thanking him for what He's already given you as if it isn't good enough. Treat what you're doing now like a big deal! Be grateful for the life you have because let's just be dramatic and say that your life really sucks, it's going to be a powerful testimony to someone when you overcome it. Be thankful for everything about the NOW.