2016 in a wrap

Now that 2016 has ended, I thought maybe I would just quickly pen down some thoughts and reflections that I have taken away from this entire year.

I hope by writing my thoughts down, I will be able to constantly remind myself of the hard times that I have faced in 2016; of the thankful moments I have experienced in 2016; and the 'lollipop' moments that have impacted me in 2016.

1. Friendship

2016 is a year I have come to realize how precious friends are - and even, how selfless they could all be. There were friends that I have let down in the past - as a result, some left, yet some chose to stay. For friends that left, I don't blame them at all - sometimes some things just are not meant to work out all the way, and that's how life is. But for the friends that chose to stay after countless of incidents, I am immensely grateful. I feel extremely blessed to have met such friends, whom have stayed by me through Years 1, 2 and even 3 of my uni journey, despite of whatever actions that I might have unknowingly done in the past that upset them. Because of their endurance, I constantly remind myself to be my best with them, treat them with my entire heart - because they could have simply left, but they did not.

I have also met friends from different schools and faculties from my internship, which I am thankful for too. They were one of the happiest bunch of friends that I have met, and they made my 3 month internship journey 10x better. They also showed me a lot of new perspectives and taught me that there is so much more things to learn outside of accounting, outside of life.

In my first semester of my Year 3 journey, I was again lucky enough to have made myself a handful of awesome friends - as per what I have mentioned on my Instagram post, friends with great minds and even bigger hearts. Extremely big hearts, I would say. They taught me what it meant by true teamwork; what it meant by being selfless; and what it meant by being true friends. Every single time I recall on how we met, my heart is filled with gratitude, brimming with gratitude. I would never ever exchange them for anything else - and here, I want to remind myself that I should always be thankful because they have accepted my flaws regardless, and continued to push forward together with me.

2. Reciprocity

As with how others accept our flaws, always reciprocate. Be it friends, family members, or even mere strangers - always remember that no one is obliged to help you; no one is obliged to pick you up when you're down; no one is obliged to give you a helping hand when you're lagging behind. Hence, when you receive help; when you receive kindness from someone else, please reciprocate. Return them the kind of patience and kindness that they have gave you, and even better, pass the kindness on. Be kind to all as long as it is within your limits. Sometimes I find myself guilty of taking some acts of kindness for granted, so this shall serve as a reminder to myself in 2017 that I must, at the very least, reciprocate.

3. Learning to let go

Another big lesson that I have learnt would be the importance of learning when to let go. Sure, sometimes we might feel upset and disappointed that things did not go as we planned. Or sometimes we find ourselves at the losing end of the situation. But I am slowly learning that for things that involve material items (like money), there is no need to harp over it. As the saying goes, "Don't cry over spilled milk" - there is no point in tying yourself to how much you have lost, or how much you could have saved otherwise. There is really no point in doing so. Nothing changes. So why not just let it go, take it as a lesson learnt, and tell yourself to enjoy whatever else that you can. Life always presents us with surprises, it is up to us to decide if we want to accept it positively or grudgingly. Another very very important mindset that I must bring with me into 2017.

I just wanted to end on this note, that we should always be grateful to everything that is happening in our lives. Be it something good or bad - if it is something good, be thankful for all the benefits that you have enjoyed; if it is something bad, be thankful that you were given the opportunity to learn.

Happiness is transient, but it is something that we can choose to do or not to do. Happiness can come in small packets, in simple situations like receiving help when you're at your lowest, paying the kindness forward and seeing the smile on someone else's face, and when you know you have made a difference in someone else's life, no matter how small.

Little things in life count more than big ones. Always remember that, and always choose to be happy.

X

Crystal