A new house, back surgery, new friends, harder classes, smiles, tears, unforgettable laughs and never ending memories, this year had it all. As I reminisce on 2014, I can't help but count the things I have learned this year, and remember that no matter how old we get, we always have something new to learn.
1. Keep your toothbrush in your bedroom.
With only one shower and a house full of girls, I was never sure when I would be able to get in to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Keeping your tooth brush in your bedroom isn't only convenient, but it could save you from some awkward intrusion moments.
2. Elle Woods is truly an inspiration.
While Elle Woods has always been a role model of mine (laugh if you must), channeling her peppy and bright attitude helped me through a roller coaster of a year. Vote for Elle!
3. No one (well, very few) will judge you based on your iPhone case.
This year I learned that designer labels truly don't matter. No one cares if your iPhone case is Tory Burch or if your winter boots are Sorel. Just wear what you want and be who you are.
4. Christmas lights should not just be reserved for Christmas.
This summer I decorated my room with christmas lights and haven't turned them off since. They really make tough days brighter and happy days even more sparkly.
5. Don't ever take your health for granted.
With a spinal injury this year that threatened the comfort of my future, I truly learned what health means and why it is so important for us take care of our bodies. Be kind to yourself by eating what is good for you and exercising whenever you get a chance. We only get one body. Don't mess this up.
6. You aren't your resume.
You know that piece of paper that most of us freak out about and edit on a biweekly basis? Well I am sorry to break the news, but darling, you are so incredibly more amazing than what it says on a piece of paper. Don't let some typed words hold you back from continuing to follow your dream. While yes, having work experience and decent grades will help us find jobs and get in to grad school, who we are as a person actually matters. Letters of recommendation are extremely important as well. Remember to treat people right, and I'm sure people will treat you well, too.
7. Cutting your hair off won't solve your problems.
As an impulse decision this past September, I cut all of my hair off hoping it would solve everything undesirable in my life. I had a "new year, new me" attitude. I was wrong. All it caused was bad hair days that couldn't be covered with a hat. This year I learned that no matter what I look like on the outside, it really is what is on the inside that will always shine through.
8. Complaining about the weather will not make the sun shine.
Yes friends. We know. It's cold outside. It rained last week. The humidity made your hair frizz. After listening to myself and my friends complain more about the weather this past year than ever before, I realized that even though we want to blame bad weather on our worst enemy or even Obama, there is no one out there to blame. So suck it up, build a snowman, and keep from slipping on the ice.
9. Self confidence should not be synonymous with Instagram likes.
While it's hard not to think that the amount of likes we get on Facebook or Instagram is also the number of people who like us as a person, it's important that we remember that our interactions with people should exist outside of the internet. Your Fishbowl from the bar may not rake in more than 30 likes, but that has nothing to do with how you should feel about yourself. Focus more on what you think of yourself than what others think of you. Most of the time our social media is some sort of performance for the world. Don't forget to take off the costume once in a while and be yourself.
10. "You is kind, you is smart, you is important."
This year, my roommate, Lindsay, made me sit down and watch the movie The Help. I was hesitant not only because I am not, and never have been, a "movie person", but I truly didn't think it would hold my interest. But I was so wrong. The Help immediately jumped to my top five favorite movies for multiple reasons. However, one of the most important reasons was because of the line: "You is kind, you is smart, you is important". This line was said from one of the characters who plays the role of "the help" to a young three or four year old girl. While the whole movie is centered around what someone looks like (the color of their skin), she made sure that the young girl did not judge herself based on her appearance. She never told the young girl you are beautiful, you are sexy, you are hot. She simply helped the little girl focus on what truly matters: what is on the inside is what counts, and that is what will make you important.
11. Friends=Family.
While many of us say things such as "She's like my sister", or "I could never date him, he's like a brother to me", what I have learned this year is that you are born in to a family, and then there is another family you choose: your friends. While I went through struggles, this year, I learned who my true friends really are, and that they are in my life for a reason. From my best friend Abby bringing me a red balloon after my back surgery (she knows that I have a special attachment to them), to my best friend Emma confiding in me when she needed a friend, to Lauren and I surprising our best friend Ellie at the airport after her four month journey through Europe, I have learned that we meet people who will change our lives, and we have to cherish them the best we can. However, on the flip side of friends=family, I have learned that family=friends. My sister Sierra and I are only one year apart, but this past year we have became closer than I ever thought imaginable. Sierra is "my person", and I would have it no other way.
12. People, people, people!
This year I was lucky enough to have some really amazing people come in to my life, and sadly had to say goodbye to others. So squeeze the people you love, surround yourself with positive humans, and dance the night away. You never know who you will meet that could change your life, and you truly never know when your last goodbye will be. So just be with people who make you happy!
13. Take an art class.
With so many of us stressing about work, school, etc., do something creative and let your mind run free. Photography, knitting, writing. Anything that makes you happy! It will be like your brain can go to a spa or take a vacation from some of the nonsense we call life.
14.Embrace today.
Yes, 2014 is almost behind us. And with the new year will come what many of us believe to be a fresh beginning. But why not start your fresh beginning right now? Why not deal with today's problems today instead of procrastinating until tomorrow, and why not call your best friend and tell them how much they mean to you right this very moment? A big shiny ball in New York City dropping to the ground isn't a requirement for you to start living your life right now.
I wish everyone a healthy and happy holiday season!
With love, Cheyenne
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