What 2016 Taught Me.

Hey Everyone!

Let me first start off with saying I hope you had a Very Merry Christmas, the best of Holidays, and a Happy New Year!

My, 2016 absolutely flew by. It feels like not too long ago I was posting on animated my quotes I’d be following for the 2016 year. 2016 was a crazy year that I am super thankful for. The year was a great year, however it had its moments. Through the ups and a couple downs, 2016 really taught we a lot. I figured I’d start off 2017 on animated by looking back on the lessons I’m grateful I learned in 2016.

Attitude Goes a Long Way

I’ll start off with something that is probably pretty obvious. About the previous two years I’ll admit I was focused on “how am I going to screw this up?” or “What’s going to go wrong because this is going too well.” This past year I’ve really focused on carrying a better attitude. I’ve tried to be a lot more positive with myself. I’ll give you an example. Two years ago, when I would walk into an exam and I didn’t understand the first question, panic. Wave the white flag, its over. The rest of the test I probably won’t understand. This year if I see something I don’t understand, well yes I do the normal thing and skip it. However, when I come back to it now, I tell myself just put everything I know about this subject onto the paper. Even if its just the equations, try to make sense of it somehow. Shockingly sometimes when I get my exam back, I receive full credit for the question. I noticed I was sometimes defeating myself before I had even gave myself a chance. The right attitude toward situations can make a huge difference. I mean heck it was the difference between an A- and a C+ in my example!

Problems are, Simple Problems

We have a saying in engineering. “Complex engineering problems are just a bunch of simple problems put onto one page.” I think it is the single greatest lesson I have learned in engineering school. When you realize this quote in engineering, you completely look at problems in a different way. Dissect the info given, focus on the first thing asked for, and following this will lead you in the direction to solve the next 5 problems with in the single question. Well not only is it a great mindset to have for engineering, but also I’ve adapted the thinking to everyday life. I know I sometimes like to make problems 100% bigger then what they actually are. This lead to unnecessary stress, bad moods, and preoccupied thinking. I’ve started to view problems, like we do in engineering, as simple problems. This has been my most obvious change because even my family had told me I don’t have the “always preoccupied look” I use to have anymore.

Changes Begin With You, But Don’t End With Just You

At the beginning of 2016, I recognized the person I am needed changing. But change does not begin when you take initiative to seek change. Change begin when you recognize, change is not going to happen over a night. It is a process. Recognizing the need for change is huge part of the process, so celebrate it. Celebrate the small victories, and become better at recognizing minor lapses into bad habits. The change I wanted to see in myself was to think more positive (I was way too negative about myself), change my attitude,  and overall be a happier person. I wanted to look in the mirror and be happy with who I saw. I took small steps and saw slow but steady progress. I began to see change in myself. However, like I titled this section, changes don’t end with just you. I started getting small feedback from friends I didn’t even ask for. Small comments like “you look happier” meant the world to me. I started reaching out to my best friend (we were eachother’s first friend in kindergarten, and have been friends since 5 years old) letting him know I really appreciated the comment. I told him my story about trying to become a better me.  Now he helps me stay motivated. Sure one can look at it and say well that’s one person. Sure, I would have thought the same way to. But now I tell myself, hey that’s one person more that noticed change than their was yesterday.

Letting Go

I wouldn’t say I’ve completely 100% learned this one yet. In the past year I’ve had a couple instances where it seemed time to let some things go. Some instances were small things and others  were really though. Letting go sucks, it really does. It’s probably my least favorite thing to do because I’m always focusing on how I can make light of a situation. But I was in certain instances where I’d think to myself, I’ve gave all I have. Their was really no more I could do. Especially when it got to the point of the more light I tried to make, the situation wouldn’t get any better or even it would get a little worse. I’ll say it again, it sucks. However, in these instances I’ve learned you have to look at how the situation is affecting your own being. Again, I like to have a never say never attitude. When instances start affecting being though, letting go may sometimes be the best option in the long run. I guess in a way though, when you know you’ve done absolutely everything you can without making the situation worse, you’re a little more at peace when it is time to let go. Like I said, I’m not 100% proficient in this yet. I still like to keep a little hope around. But I at least have now come to recognize the option if it will result in a happier situation.

We’re Given Signs, We Just Don’t Always Catch Them

This one kind of piggy-backs off the previous topic. I realized while I was giving effort into on how to make light of situation, I realized there were signs I was missing because my efforts were not focused on catching them. You could say I had tunnel vision. We’re given signs more than we know, we just don’t always catch them. It doesn’t just apply to signs of when to let go. It trickles down to the smallest things. The other day I was playing Overwatch with two of my friends while we were waiting for a fourth to join us. We were getting ready to play some ranked matches so we decided we’ll warm up with some quick play while we wait for our four. Well we were super off in our quick play matches. We ultimately decided it may not be the best idea to play ranked tonight since we, the three of us, felt our playing was really off for whatever reason. Welp, turns out we found out next morning the fourth friend we were waiting for had fallen asleep. We’re given signs. Believing their signs is half the battle.

If You Bring Happiness, You’ll Attract Happiness

Another probably obvious one for most. Over this year, I’ve began to focus not on my short comings but how much I’ve learned. I’ve been able to look back on situations this year and normally I’d react to it like “Man if only it would have gone this way.” Now my reaction is more along the lines of “Well I was able to take this lesson away from that situation.” Overall it has made me a much more positive thinker and probably person. Which in time has turned into a much happier self. I realized it when a friend of mine I saw at the beginning of the year visited for Thanksgiving. After we had hung out I was told, “it is great to see you look so much happier.” Again, we’re given signs. I took this as a sign as validation that small changes in thinking were right changes after all.

If it is Meant to Happen, it WILL HAPPEN

 This one just about sums up everything. Everything happens for a reason, good and bad. I think too many times early last year I was trying to force things to happen in my life. I’ve worked on being better at not forcing things to happen a certain way. I like to think of it as how meeting a best friend went. When I met my best friends it was easy to have a conversation and easy to be myself around them. It in a way, kind of just happened. Well, if it was meant to happen, it will happen. Of course I’m not disregarding trying for an outcome. Obviously your if you don’t study for a test, and you think well I’m meant to get an A so it will happen. Chances are that test isn’t going to go very well. I’m not saying effort isn’t taken into account. I’m speaking in regards to trying to force something to happen. Trying to force a potential relationship or new friend groups for instance. Heck I tried to force myself to join a club that I wasn’t very interested in to begin with. Looking back I probably even forced somethings on animated. I’m pinpointing at those instances, where maybe the heart isn’t fully into it. Like I said about meeting my best friends, things of this nature tend to come very naturally. If their meant to happen, the universe will help in seeing that it will happen. 🙂

Yea I’m starting off this year on a way too philosophical note. XD

I’ve had these learned lessons in my head, but it is really motivating to put these thoughts into words.

I think just even my tone in this post is different from a year ago!

Anyways, like I stated at the beginning. I hope the holidays were wonderful for you! I hope 2016 was a great year for you, and if it wasn’t maybe reading this will help you look at your year from a different perspective.

Wishing you the best in 2017! 😉

-Animated

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