For many people, 2015 wasn't the Year of the Sheep; it was the Year of the F*ck-up.
More importantly, it was a year of growth.
We're only human. Sometimes our intuition is off. Sometimes our vulnerability leads us to trust the wrong people. We're prone to f*ck things up every now and then. And maybe we use sparklers on New Year's because we recognize that we've been burned during the past year. We know we have to suffer in order to learn.
But the new year's is the time to let your problems drop with the ball. It's the time to let go of the year you've been brave enough to survive.
Now that you've survived 2015's emotional bootcamp, it's important that you pat yourself on the back and forgive yourself for all that has happened.
Remember that you are not your mistakes. You are the product of what you've learned from them, and you should use your newly-found knowledge to make 2016 one of the best years of your life.
Here are seven mistakes that you definitely should not repeat this new year -- or ever:
1. Avoiding risk
Maybe nothing at all happened to you this year. But having nothing happen to you is also a mistake.
Being boring is the worst thing you can ever do. You have one life, and by choosing to sit out of experiences and slouch on the sidelines, you've chosen a form of death.
Maybe 2016 will be the Year of the Passport for you. Maybe it will be the Year You Let Your Hair Down. Once you start participating, you can start to live and make the memories you've only read or dreamed about.
2. Competing with others
Maybe you won partner at your firm, and no one cared except you. That's just how life is sometimes, but you're strong enough to move forward without a fan club. You were given two hands because you need to clap for yourself sometimes. You should be proud of your accomplishments FOR YOU.
People might try to put you down in order to make themselves look or feel better. They’ll drag you down because they can't pull themselves up. They’ll dull your shine by talking behind your back.
But as tempting as it may be, you should not pay attention to these people.
When you set a goal, pay no mind to what others are doing. Just focus on the steps you need to take to get to where you want to go.
Keep your dreams big and your ego small.
3. Giving your heart to idiots
Your heart is valuable. And YOU are valuable.
This year, you might have set yourself up for injury by allowing the wrong people into your space. You probably gave 110 percent to someone worth none of your time, but that's OK. It happens.
Now that you've done your time and cried your tears, you can now leave love buried in 2015. It's never fun letting the wrong person in, but it will make meeting the right one all the more amazing.
In 2016, you will be much more cautious about the people you let into your life.
4. Letting others control your emotions
In 2015, you might have depended on others to help you smile. Now you know that nothing lasts forever -- and that includes people. The only permanent person in your life is yourself.
Your happiness should come from within. You don't need someone else to make you happy; you just need to love yourself.
In 2016, you will work on getting to know that person more and keep exploring what makes your soul soar.
5. Putting yourself down
Life already beats us up enough. Sudden tragedies knock the wind out of us, and unrequited loves are like slaps in the face.
And you shouldn't add to the abuse.
Stop doubting yourself and thinking you’re ugly. You are capable of anything, and you are beautiful. Never allow negative thoughts to tell you otherwise.
6. Trusting the wrong people
This is one of the most painful mistakes you might have made in 2015. You've allowed people into your life because you thought they would enrich it.
But it takes seconds for best friends to become enemies, and you learned that anyone can turn against you in an instant.
This lesson is an old one; even the devil was once an angel. So don't be too surprised when "the person that you'd take a bullet for is [actually] behind the trigger."
7. Regretting bad decisions
Every awful decision you've made in 2015 is a part of your story. You should strive to wear all of your life lessons like armor. That way, you'll protect yourself from what the future has in store.
By being at peace with all of your mistakes and wearing them proudly, you can accept what 2015 threw at you and be ready for 2016's blessings.
