These realizations are some I've had over the past year, and it's great that I've reflected on them to actually apply it this coming new year. Beside how people treat me, this could be the backbone to my attitude towards life. Let's see...
• Do what makes you happy. People who love you will be genuinely happy for you, and people that don't, well, will try to bring you down. It's a matter of choice on what really matters to you. Solid relationships or crappy, unsettling, pathetic people? 'Tis really up to you. Given the opportunity, I've chosen the first one. I highly recommend it.
• At the end of the day, it is all about yourself, basically. You might ask, what about your loved ones like your family, friends, boyfriend, or puppy (if you happen to have one). Those are significant parts of yourself. So when you think about yourself, these important people in your life come along with those thoughts. Appreciate them, respect them, and-slash-or cherish them, for these are the only people that WILL return you the favor no matter what. They will appreciate, respect, cherish, and understand you even if your opinions and thoughts are the most ridiculous, self-centered, annoying ones in the history of human civilization. Of course, they will tell you the truth, in a very subtle way (or not), even if it does not make you realize you are wrong. At least hearing it from them makes them worth the trust you rarely give. That said, choose your relationships wisely, for those can make or break you in terms of trust. And if you have chosen the right amount of and the right substance in those relationship, rude and offensive people are not gonna matter at all because as I have said earlier, at the end of the day, it is all about yourself and the people you trust about it. How can you say you have built/chosen the right relationships? You may fall into their arms sobbing when you are at your lowest low, but they won't mind; or, while everything around you seems to belittle/mock/ridicule you, your loved ones just simply make you happy.
• Don't please anybody, nor judge them. Their opinion don't matter to you, neither is your opinion gonna help them through life. If you let their words get into you, you give them the right to hurt you, and make you feel inferior. That would not be pretty. If you let yourself judge people around you, more so, you give them the right to mock you back. Besides, they say that judging people says a lot about YOU, more than anything. Simply put — if you don't have anything nice to say, then just shut up.
• The problem with this generation? Always have to document everything online. I have been there — tweeting every single piece of my mind, and I ended up hated by my so-called colleagues. Apparently, there is a limit and hard way of learning it is losing followers on Twitter. It is not a big deal, but it is not a good feeling either. That said, sometimes, we have to know our limits especially when using these social networking sites, because there is such a thing as "sharing too much information". You do not have to tweet every rant you have, or every lunch/dinner/dessert you'd eat at the moment, or everything that you do basically. You have rants? Reflect on it!!! You have food? Eat it!!! But not too fast — enjoy eating it! You're doing something? Focus on it!!! I don't know what that obsession is really all about but I'm telling you, it's repulsive. Hmmm... Though it's all relative, share what you think is "share-able". Or ask this question every time you'd want to tweet something — "Do I want to see this kind of tweet from all those I follow?" If the answer is no (and you'd be repulsed by reading such), just delete the text and move on.
• Another problem with this generation? Always have to know everything AND always have to be right. If you don't know something, you are ignorant? If you make a mistake, you are an idiot? Sad. Just because you have a fast internet connection doesn't mean you already know everything, or you have to know everything. What I learned the hard way this year is that you have to admit that you do not know everything, and that somebody is better than you at something. Other way to look at it though is that, you are better than everybody else at something. And what is with this generation's fear of committing mistakes? Stop "being" perfect. It is boring. Try being so, but by doing it you must know that you'd trip somewhere along the way. That is normal. That will make you realize that you cannot be perfect, you'd make mistakes once in a while. You grow that way.
• Know yourself more than anyone in this world. Try reflecting on your own life than gossiping about others. If you truly know who you are and what you're made of, anything nasty gossips you hear about you won't matter at all. If some gossips sting a little bit, then you do have a problem. However, knowing yourself does not give you the right to be nasty about someone else, unless you portray not-at-all a nice person.
• Admit that sometimes, you can be hypocritical, cocky, pathetic, rude, judgmental — or simply, an unpleasant person to be with. Your hair isn't the only thing that's going to have a bad day your entire life. Your nail beds, your skin, your eyes plus the eye bags, your mood, your thoughts, your attitude. You've lost it at least once, and you will lose it at some point for sure. Accept it. Admit that sometimes, you just lose it. Then forgive yourself about it. Then laugh at those whose attitude is as bad as their faces. Repeat the cycle.
• Be subtle with your words; nobody — yourself included — wants to be around someone who is rude, pathetic, and cocky.
• Explore curiously. Experience cautiously. Express intelligently.
• They say that it is a matter of time. If it's meant to be, it will be. I'd go for moving some muscles every now and then, just so you know, you won't be screamed at names like "lazy" or "bastard". Whatever. The point is, it is all about the time. Right combination of timing from up above and the universe to conspire, and it will be (whatever that is for you). Just make sure you won't run out of that precious resource. *wink* How? Move!
• Do everything you can. It's worth every sleepless and non-social nights if it really matters to you. Whining and ranting put you out-of-sight of whatever you want in life. Yet hard work and sheer determination put you a thousand steps closer (compared to those who don't even try) to that goal in your mind. And if you think you've done and exhausted everything you could, pray to your God and to the universe. And again, if it's meant to be, it will be.
• Wherever you go, whatever you do, always gain a little perspective from it. Even if it is different from what you already have, or it may not be as positive as you want, but for sure it would be a huge help when you are faced by diversities and adversaries; you'd know what to do.
Photos taken from Google