17 Things I Learned in 2017

Every year I make two lists at the end of the year – 1) “The best of 2017” & 2) “Goals of 2018.”

I do this because I love looking back on everything I did in that year & I am very much into setting New Year’s resolutions. I find it very liberating.

This time around, I wanted to make a third list, which is “17 things I learned in 2017.” I decided to make this third list because I want to see how much I’ve grown as an individual or haven’t grown.

So it’s time to reflect.

One: I learned that I’m really bad at accounting, like really bad. So bad that I had to take my first accounting class twice. Once in the fall of 2016 and then in the spring of 2017. Those two semesters were my hardest ones yet. I wanted to drop out, I was so miserable. I called my mom constantly saying how I don’t think I can keep doing this, but of course she got me through it. With learning that I’m horrible at accounting, I also learned that I can accomplish anything, even if it does take me longer than anyone else to catch on to.

Two: I love being with family. I already knew this, but in 2017, I spent a lot of time with family, whether I was back in MN or in TX. Living out of state from your family is hard, way harder than I imagined. I didn’t know I’d miss my family so much. You miss the little things like everyone going out to eat on a week day night or having a Friday night movie night. But missing them also makes you appreciate the time you have with them a lot more.

Three: I’m not as outgoing as I thought I was. I used to think when I first started college that I couldn’t meet other people and make friends because people didn’t talk to me. In reality, it’s me who doesn’t reach out and talk to people. A lot of people meet other people by going out on the weekend or going to get coffee before class. My excuse always was that I’m a full-time student and a full-time worker so I don’t have a lot of time to go out and meet people. In some cases that is true, but I also know deep down that I could make it happen.

Four: Then there’s that other part of me that throughly enjoys being alone. Most of the time, I drag Zach on a run with me, but sometimes I love to go on a run alone. I love walking to class alone. I love driving alone. I love waking up on a weekday morning to no one at home because of how peaceful and quiet it is. I’ll go hours before I even turn on any sort of sound. I love waiting for my next class to start alone, like I almost get irritated if someone tries to talk to me. I guess all of this stems from sharing my home with two other people, being the manager at my workplace (so I’m constantly having to talk to coworkers), being in a customer service setting and always having to converse with customers, and then being in school all the time where I have to continuously listen to my professors teach their course.

Five: I love connecting with likeminded people through my social media platforms and blog. I’ve gained a handful of amazing online friends through my Instagram, TheClassifiedBrunette. I share a common interest with every one of them, they are all so inspiring to me, and they motivate me to be my own person!

Six: I heard the phrase “stay in your own lane” by Lauryn Evarts of The Skinny Confidential on her podcast a while back, and it has resonated with me ever since. Whenever I start comparing myself to someone else, whether it’s in my personal or professional life, I say those words in my head. Stay in your own lane. Stop worrying about and focusing on what everyone else is doing and worry about your own shit. To me this is so important because I can get so sucked up into what someone else has going for them, which then leads me to feeling sorry for myself and doubting myself. It’s all just a vicious cycle that needs to be avoided 100% of the time.

Seven: Even though I’m not where I thought I would be right now, that still doesn’t mean I can’t get there.

Eight: Cherish every moment you have. One of my ferrets, Thor, was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of February 2017 and two weeks later he was gone. Two weeks, that’s all it took. I miss him every single day. I think about him every single. I still cry and my heart still aches. I would have given anything to have him just a little bit longer. But that’s not the way the world works, which is why I say cherish every fucking moment you have because it could be gone before you know it. & honestly, this isn’t something you realize until you have to experience it first hand- experience losing a loved one, getting into a traumatic accident, or anything that causes trauma.

Nine: Cherishing every moment brings me to this one – love hard. Love yourself hard. Love your family hard. Love your pets hard, especially your pets because they deserve it. Love your significant other hard. Love what you have. Love what you have experienced. Love what you have learned. Love that you’re healthy. Love your body. Love until you can’t love anymore.

Ten: Do what you can to help those around you. Did someone next to you at the store drop something? Pick it up for them. Was that server or barista helpful and kind? Give them a nice tip. Have a free day one day a week? Volunteer at an animal shelter or soup kitchen. Being kind doesn’t have to cost you a thing.

Eleven: I really learned that I love writing. I love writing  blog posts, I love writing hand written cards. I also love sending hand written cards to my loved ones. It’s a kind gesture that shows you’re thinking of them.

Twelve: Not everything is what it seems like. For example, my Instagram, AubriannaSuzann has a lot of my “great day” pictures on it. Like the days I go hiking, or I’m at a concert, or I got dressed up for a wedding, or adorable pictures of my animals. But no one is seeing what is actually going on because I’m not making it public. For example, one day back during the summer months, Zach and I had to rush one of our ferrets to the vet. He had a piece of a toy stuck in his intestine. If he didn’t get surgery, he would die. But the surgery was going to cost $4,000. Yeah, you read that right, $4,000. So we made a decision to cancel my birthday trip completely so we could use that money for his surgery. You guys never would have known that from looking at my Instagram page. It was scary, stressful, and heartbreaking. & that’s my point, we were going through something very traumatic but to the outside world, no one had a clue. That also brings me to my point that you don’t know what someone is going through so be gentle and nonjudgemental.

Thirteen: Life is hard, man. It really is a rollercoaster for most. There are ups and downs and sideway days. Lol, I don’t think sideway days is a thing but we’re making it a thing. Everyone goes through heartbreak, stressful times, being low on money, losing their job, not passing a class, families going through divorce, losing a loved one. The list goes on, you know that & I know that. But 2017 really taught me that life really isn’t always going to be easy.

Fourteen: Being kind really makes all the difference. Even if someone is rude to you, don’t answer them with rudeness. Try putting yourself in their shoes and see where they are coming from. Also, with being kind, there’s the aspect of being patient with anyone and everyone. When you aren’t patient, you can lose your temper quickly, which just escalates the situation and that’s not good for anyone.

Fifteen: Complaining gets you nowhere. It only brings on more negative thoughts and feelings. I would come home from a ten hour work day and bitch to Zach about how the apartment isn’t clean or he forgot to take out the trash. In reality, that wasn’t what was irritating me, I was just taking out my frustration on him from working a ten hour day. Complaining  is useless and can only cause more problems.

Sixteen: I learned that I love to read books. I know, that seems like a silly thing to say but it’s completely true. Getting lost in a good book for hours is perfection to me. Books teach you things, they open up your mind and make you see things from a different perspective, and they can greatly benefit your life in all aspects.

Seventeen: I really don’t know the direction I’m going to go after I graduate college. I love blogging, I love the entrepreneur lifestyle. I also love animals, all animals. A part of me just wants to save animals lives, whether that’s working at an animal shelter or sanctuary. The other part of me wants to use my blogging platform to educate people on things like the environment or factory farming. But then I also want to utilize my marketing degree somehow, I’m just not sure exactly how to do that. So yeah, as you can tell, I have no idea what direction to go and I think that’s okay. Everything happens for a reason, right? & what’s meant to be, will be.

Happy 2018, everyone! I hope you all absolutely kill it this year.

xx, Aubrianna