The year 2014 might have been challenging for a lot of us, but surely we learnt a thing or two that we can share with others, right?
It’s almost inevitable to reflect on the year that has been in December. Did you get everything you set out to do? Did failure discourage you from chasing your other dreams? Have you grown as a person, and did you learn anything valuable to take into 2015?
Our copy editor Zethu Zulu shares 3 things she now knows for sure…
DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF
The only people who know how good or bad we can be under pressure is ourselves. We know our potential and the amazing things we can do when we put our minds to it. But, sometimes things just don’t work out. We don’t lose as much weight as we planned, or manage to get a business idea off the ground. We criticise ourselves, asking endless questions on why we didn’t try harder – but really, the point is you did try and that is better than nothing. What we know for sure now is that ‘Oh well, I tried’ is much better than, ‘I wish I tried…’
TAKE IT EASY
Remember that problem that you thought wouldn’t go away? We spend so much time stressing about all the problems we have – but, almost always, challenges come to pass. That’s when you should realise that fretting over matters that are beyond your control is useless. No amount of crying or pulling your hair out helps. Rather, take comfort in knowing that everything passes. We know for sure that taking it easy is the best way.
DON’T LIVE A LITTLE… LIVE HARD!
How many times have you taken a rain check this year to all the invites where you know you would have had fun? Everyone worries about whether they spend too much money on socialising or shopping. But this doesn’t mean you should lose out on the joy of buying something nice for yourself or hanging out with your friends for a great laugh. What we know for sure is that we work very hard, we look after our families and pay for endless bills, so taking time out to really enjoy life by doing all the things you love is worth it. And living a good life doesn’t make you selfish or reckless. So, go on, live hard!
