Fifteen things I learned

It was a good year. But mostly, it was a year of changes, new things, and learning life lessons. Fifteen is an interesting age that brings a lot of challenges, but if you stick with it, you'll make it through. Reflecting on this year I wanted to make a list of fifteen things I learned being fifteen, and I know that's a pretty generic thing to do on your birthday, but honestly if you could learn these things sooner than I did your life will be awesome.

#1. I love people
I'm an introvert, you guys know that, but I really used to never be around people. But I've come to realize that being around others teaches me so much and fills me with happiness. Some of my best moments are with other people. People are amazing and inspiring and loving. And I've come to rely on that. Now, I love being with people. I've made so many friends in the last year, and I can honestly say that they have impacted and changed my life in so many ways. They are encouraging and loving and supporting without even knowing that I need them to be that way. It's awesome. And I can never do for others what people have done for me, but I want to spend the rest of my life trying.

#2. I love to write
I've written more this year than ever before. And the more I write, the more I realize how much I love it. Words hold so much meaning, and to be able to put them in such a way that conveys the message you want to communicate, there's magic in that for me. It gives me joy to phrase things the right way, to pour my thoughts out and see a page fill up. For the rest of my life I never want to stop writing and sharing those words with others.

#3. About hope
I've learned so much about hope. If I had to pick out a theme for the fifteenth year of my life it would definitely be hope. Over and over it inserted itself into my life, I didn't even realize the trend until about a month ago looking back at all I had been doing. Through papers, speeches, blog posts, emails, and discussions, that word kept popping up telling me what it was and how desperately I needed it. Some of those things I wrote in a post on hope, some I will simply remember forever. Hope has been my theme.

#4. I never want to stop learning
I have been a schoolaholic for the last year (yes, that's now a word) Honestly I've done so much school work for high-school and college credits. I used to think that school was boring and unnecessary. But I've begun to realize that I love it. I never want to stop learning about stuff, I want to take college courses and read deep books and research difficult questions for the rest of my life.

#5. Breathing is a necessity
Life gets stressful. It becomes overwhelming. And it makes it difficult to breathe. Especially when you realize all the things you have to do in a very little amount of time. But when that happens and life gets busy, you have to breathe. I never appreciated how difficult or necessary it was to breathe in some situations until this year.


#6. Peace is a mindset
When I focus on all those things that stress me out or I take on too much responsibility then its almost impossible to experience peace. But if I have all that going on and I focus on the fact that God has control and His plans for me are to prosper me not to harm me, plans to give me hope and a future, then I can have peace. God can give us peace that surpasses all understanding, it comes with a mindset of trusting His strength and His plans for our life.

#7. To deal with responsibility
I've always been afraid of growing older, simply because it means more responsibility, more things that could go wrong, so many ways that a single decision could mess up my life. But I've become better at handling big responsibilities. I've had to be responsible for kids that come into the gym, I have to be able to keep them safe and if they get hurt, its my fault. I've been responsible for driving the car and not hurting anyone. I've been responsible for meeting deadlines and getting good grades and most of the time I haven't failed. Dealing with responsibility takes practice, and I've had to practice it a lot this year.

#8. Chocolate is a lifesaver
Where would we be without chocolate? It reminds us life is still sweet even when it looks sour. I couldn't have made it through my 15th year without it.

#9. Some music isn't actually that bad
I used to never listen to music. Ever. But this last year I was introduced to some songs and some singers and I started listening to music more. Now, I actually enjoy it.

#10. Difficulty hits everyone
Everyone goes through trials and hard times. But it's very easy to forget that. It's easy to just focus on how I'm feeling, what I'm going through. As I've been getting to know a lot of people in different situations, I've come to realize that others need encouragement at times. I've begun to ask how people's day was and try to get an honest answer. Instead of just focusing on me, realizing that difficulty hits everyone has made me try to spread hope more often.

#11. One choice makes a difference
I read and heard of a lot of stories about people who just needed one person to talk to them, say hi to them, or smile at them, to lift their spirits and brighten their day. Looking at that, I began to realize that one choice really can make a difference on someone's day, week, or life. I wrote a post about that too because I think we need use our choices more wisely and impact people around us.

#12. People are watching
My parents always would tell me that people were watching my behavior, most often that was when I was misbehaving and they needed me to stop. So I grew up hearing that, but I never really believed it. Recently though people have begun saying that they have seen me and taken notice of me and some of the things I do. And to emphasize that in my life, I wrote about it a lot, because I need a constant reminder to be respectable, to be a role model. It's a kinda scary thought, but it's motivating too. People are watching me, and I want to be someone worth watching.

#13. To remember
Goodbyes are hard. Ending good times is painful. Missing a place and people and happiness is part of life. But we can keep those memories with us. I've begun to realize what really needs to be remembered, the little things that make me happy, the friends and the good times I've spent with them. We can't just take those things for granted, we have to hold on to them, value them, and remember them forever. I wrote a post about petrichor at a time when I was regretting that I hadn't remembered some times better. It's so important to remember, and that's one of the lessons I've learned in this last year.


#14. To let go
Some things we can't hold onto forever. I had to let go of the sport that meant the world to me. I had to let go of the dreams that came with it. I had to let go of the dreams of having lots of free time each day. I had to let go of memories of my past mistakes. I had to let go of grudges against people. While it's important to remember things, some things chain us to the past and won't let us move on. That's when we need to let go. And I had to learn that if I was going to continue some friendships I had to let go of grudges. If I was going to pursue new dreams, I had to let go of the old ones. If I wanted to make progress, I had to let go of the mistakes that kept me down. I learned to let go.


#15. It's the courage to continue that counts
The world can pelt us with difficulties, it can shower good times upon us, but through it all we must persevere. Pressure builds diamonds. There's a quote that says, "An arrow can only be shot by pulling it backward, so when life is dragging you back with difficulties it means that it is going to launch you into something great. So just focus and aiming.” It takes courage to continue aiming. Courage to continue fighting through trials. Courage to breathe when the temptation is to panic. Courage to forgive when hate is easier. Courage to make the right choice and change lives. That courage is what matters. Not the success I've had in this last years. Not the failures that held me back. I learned the importance of courage. I had the courage to continue.


Now I'm sixteen. The journey isn't over. I have learned a lot, but there is so much more to learn. But I step into this new year trusting the plans God has for me and looking forward to what He will teach me. I want to make an impact this year, use every moment I have for good, and encourage people around me.