I'm Learning a Lot About Myself

   This year I've been learning so much about myself, things I really didn't know I thought about, skills I didn't know I had and challanges I thought I would never be able to complete (yes, it's going to be a really, really long blog post, so if you're here for the shorter ones, this one isn't for you, but feel free to read anything else!)
   I realized I'm stronger mentally than I thought. I have experienced a lot of challenging things this year, in many different ways. I failed to find an apartment, I failed to get a job over the summer, I went through a breakup and a ton of other things. And I survived all of that. Now it's December, and all my challenges from 2017 are about to be over (and the 2018 challenges are going to take over), and I'm so proud that I made it through all of that.
   I also, quite recently, realized that I'm smarter than I thought (which says absolutely nothing, becaue I consider myself to be a colossal idiot), because I've tackled a lot of intellectual challenges this year. I've taken two exams on the same day and passed them both, I've made it through a lot of college classes and built more complex puzzles than I've ever done before. I've read a lot of books, and more complex ones. I've handled ton of things this year, most of them relating to intelligence and intellect.
   I started, in the beginning of the year, that I need to change how I approach my choices. I noticed that I often make choices based on what other people might think about what I do, how I act or what I decide. It's not healthy for me, as these choices made because of what other's want are often bad for me, or don't take what I want into consideration at all (which of course is not healhty, you don't have to be a genious to figure it out (even a colossal idiot can do it) ). Making choices based on other people is not really good for anyone, and I have a lot of improving to do on this point, even after realising it. Being a people pleaser is embedded into my nature, which makes it really hard to change, but I'm confident that I'll be able to do it. Maybe that'd be a good New Year's resolution for the upcoming year?
   I also realized that I should listen more, I have a tendency to just talk, talk and then talk some more, and I keep having to tell myself to actually listen to the people around me instead of just going on and on about all the time. You can do so much just by listening to the people around you. Giving advice can be just as helpful as just listening to someone telling you something. Listening shouldn't be optional in a conversation, it's should be your first priority and it took twenty years for me to realize it.
   I have a lot of other things that I've learned (for example that I can be really productive if I manage to focus, that I have a problem with keeping focused, that I have a real problem with my sweet tooth, and a ton of other stuff) but I won't bore you with every single one.
   I have a lot of changes to make before I can consider myself a better person, and I'm actually going to try to be better at the things I'm considering to be my flaws. I hope you've had some helpful realizations this year, and have a great December!
(Image source: upper; Pinterest, lower; also Pinterest)