The year of 2009 has truly been an amazing year for me. I don’t know where to start, or what to say, but if I could say it all, it would be a 1000 page book. This year has really been an experience, a journey that I have traveled through in life.
At the beginning of the year, there was a lot going on with family, and my cousins stayed with me. It was so different having more people in the house, and definitely something I had to get used to.
I have changed a lot since the beginning of the year. In the beginning of the year, I looked at myself as someone who didn’t always know where he was going, and always sought others approval to be very uniquely himself. I don’t think, looking back, that I was scared about what people thought, rather that I did not know how I would be perceieved, and always thinking about what people would think, wanting to set a great first impression. The more I went through the year, and with the help of some great friends, it all became clear to me.
What I learned set me sturdy and stable. You must always be yourself, I know people say that a lot, but its dead true. Its going to come out eventually, and you must put in a touch of you. When your doing something thats not authentically you, then you fail, always. Also, whats the worst that can come out of someone not liking you? What are they going to do? Call yo momma? Even if they did, she’d tell them off. That sucks for them if they have a problem.
Second, you should never worry too much about friendships, and relationships, because they will work out if they are meant to be. My secrets for staying cool with pals and your girl or guy is that you need to be real with them, frank, and just do the stuff they teach in kindergarten, to be nice, to share, and to look out for them. You’ll know the ones that love you for you, and those are the keepers.
Third, I learned you have to speak up for yourself all the time. Many times, people have to learn this the hard way. If it won’t work for you, say it, because at the end of the day you have to look after yourself, period. No one else will. Like I tell my friends, if you get hungry and want some chicken, you need to say so because no one else will know. Speak up for yourself, you can be polite about it. Again, if you speak up for yourself, whats the worst that could happen? (If you think too much, don’t answer that one.)
Fourth, If you want to do something, just do it. Even if you tried doing it before, do it again, with a fresh start. If you rake leaves for the first time, even if the wind blows them away, you’ll know how to do it the second time. In other words, you can only succeed if you take the risk of failing. People who succeed at something usually fail many times before they make a hit record, or a great movie, or invent something millions of people use every day. Don’t let failure frustrate you, use what you learned, and turn it into your own success story.
Those are some of the many lessons I learned from this long year of 2008. I hope that you will be able to apply some of them to your life, and see how it gets easier!
All I have to say is:
Write a book.