8 Meaningful Truths 2021 Taught Me
Let’s not have 2021 pass us by without reflecting on the life lessons it gave us. I don’t know about you, but I was thrown lesson after lesson — didn’t I finish school years ago? The learning never ends!
Well, 2021 has been another year of confusion, and Netflix binging that surprisingly brought us to 2022 quickly. Where did the time go? While I know this year was just as hard as the year before, there are 8 meaningful truths taught me.
From this hardship, there’s a lot to be learned.
Let’s not have 2021 pass us by without reflecting on the life lessons it gave us. I don’t know about you, but I was thrown lesson after lesson — didn’t I finish school years ago? The learning never ends!
8 Meaningful Truths 2021 Taught Me
Who doesn’t love a life lesson or two or eight? Here are the 8 meaningful truths 2021 taught me. While reading this list, reflect on your past year. What truths did 2021 teach you?
Say no
Ah, the power of ‘no.’ It’s so hard to say no, but you feel this pressure lift from your shoulders when you do. Why? Because you’re aligning with your needs. And when you align with your needs, it feels good.
Own your shit
I’m used to making excuses; I think most of us are. We always have a reason why we can’t do something or why it’s too hard. But 2021 taught me to own my shit. Take responsibility for my actions and my decisions.
Once I did, everything started to flow.
Prioritize your healing
How can you be a good partner, sibling, parent, or friend if you’re not working on yourself? Your healing comes first. That’s it. Go to therapy. Have “me” time. Spend time on things you love to do.
If you don’t put yourself first, no one else will. More importantly, you won’t address issues in your life, and they will build up inside of you. So, take care of yourself.
Don’t act on heavy emotions
When you’re emotional, it’s easy to say or do things that may not be the best decision. Don’t do it. Step back. Take time to breathe and cool off. Never make a decision when you’re emotional because it won’t be a rational one.
Stop romanticizing being busy
Being busy isn’t sexy. Being busy isn’t a luxury. When we’re really busy, we don’t have time for ourselves. We don’t have time to relax or reflect. When you’re super busy, you push important feelings and issues to the side without addressing them. And then you’re a ticking timebomb for a breakdown.
If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it
That’s it. Does it feel right for you? Then do it. Does it go against your values and needs? Then don’t do it. Do what feels right for you, align yourself with your intuition and needs.
Not everyone you love will grow with you
This is a hard one. I didn’t think some of my closest friends would separate from me. It didn’t happen intentionally; rather, we weren’t at the same place in our lives. It’s a hard pill to swallow when some of your best friends don’t align with you, but that’s a part of the process.
Empty people become filled with others’ thoughts
What are your values? What are your needs? What are your thoughts and feelings? If there’s one thing I’ve learned, if you don’t know who you are, you run the risk of allowing other people to fill yourself with their thoughts, values, and opinions.
Spend time learning about yourself and discovering who you are. Once you know who you are, no one can take that away from you.
Final Thoughts
While looking back, I feel like I’ve only watched Netflix and worked; even as a self help writer we have our ups and downs. But I’ve actually learned a lot. These were my 8 meaningful truths 2021 taught me. What are yours?
