1. Life is FULL of challenges and struggles but it’s possible to overcome them!
2013 was one of the most challenging times of my life where nothing was going exactly the way I was expecting it and in a year I went through so many difficult situations. To be honest if someone told me about the extent of all the challenges I experienced in 2013 I would have said ‘there’s no WAY I can survive all that’ – but you know what I DID SURVIVE! And that’s when I realised we have the capabilities to overcome A LOT of the challenges the life throws at us! It just requires a lot of patience, persistence and time!!That being said I did get LOTS of help and for everyone that helped me I’m so grateful!!
Life is always full of challenges – take them as lessons and count your blessings!
2. Sometimes you’ll fail in life but it’s really not the end of the world.
As an Asian girl I’ve always prioritise academic achievement over many other types of achievements in life, but for the first time I actually failed something and it needs to be repeated. Failing a university subject isn’t something I’m proud of and to be honest – it was extremely shocking! To a point where I felt like there was no future in my education but that was just a very negative mentality I was stuck on! After taking a break from university for a semester I can see that I need to finish my degree (even if it’s going to almost kill me) not just to please my Asian mother but for myself as well!2014 is going to be so challenging as I’ll be finishing a degree in a career I don’t really care about with an entire grade that I’m not familiar with but what is a life without a little challenge??
3. Friendship is more than just a number and maintaining them takes real EFFORT!
So in my second and third year of university I became SUPER social and went to every social outing, parties and all kinds of craziness! It was A LOT of fun – meeting new people and getting to know them better! I’ve always loved people and interacting with them always energised me!But something changed when I turned 21 at the end of 2012 because suddenly I realised without real, strong friendships to rely on I was so lost and didn’t even have anyone to turn to! That’s when I realised being a friend is so much more than just talking to them and drinking together at some party.
In 2013 I tried really hard to deepen my friendships with people and to be honest – IT’S SO HARD! Because as we get older we get busier with our careers, studies and other commitments it becomes a real ordeal to people when they’re free (especially since I’m so spontaneous and last minute!!). But I’ve learnt that even though it’s difficult it’s REALLY worthwhile to deepen friendships because now I know even if I’m struggling with life there are people who are going to be there for me and I’m always willing to do the same for them!! ♥ you guys! Hehe
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| FAMBAM at Elle & Andrew's 21 :) <3 |
4. Experiencing what you don’t want will make you SO much more appreciative when you get what you want!
This Christmas period has been my busiest one yet – I was working two different retail jobs! But I have absolutely no regrets because now that my roster has loosened up I can TRULY appreciate every second of rest and break that I get! Working hard made me realise you have to experience the exhaustion, restlessness, stress and anxiety to truly appreciate the relaxation, rest and rejuvenation! It’s the same with many other aspects – it was only when I experienced complete confusion and disorientation that I can be so thankful for direction and orderliness!For someone that used to run away from negative feelings it was definitely something that was different but definitely worthwhile!
5. Family is the one thing that’ll ALWAYS be there for you!
Friends will leave, boyfriends/girlfriends will leave and even you’ll want to leave yourself at some point but your family they’re stuck with you for life!
No matter what that bond of blood means they unconditionally have to love & take care of you!
IT’S SO IMPORTANT to learn how to love and appreciate my family more! It’s a challenge because I rarely see any of my family members (my mum works a lot and my dad’s in China) but when I can talk to them I do! At the end of the day whatever happens they’re always there for me! ♥
6. It’s actually possible to achieve the things you want – as long as you are willing to put in time, effort & energy!
To be honest I didn’t realise how much I doubted myself and avoided taking risks because I thought I couldn’t achieve a lot of things! I kept second guessing my abilities all the time but now I’ve learnt to accept that it is possible to get to where I want to go in life but I just need to let go of my fears and JUST TRY! You don’t know where you’ll go until you try! You can do what you ACTUALLY WANT TO instead of pleasing someone else and trying to achieve their dreams!7. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses – No one’s perfect!
This is something my mum use to tell me all the time but I sometimes didn’t see how that was applied in real life… because I never really got close to people! But now I’m starting to see how that statement is so true~ including for myself! There are SOOOO many things I suck at – technology, cooking and the list go on! But at the end of the day I can work hard to overcome my weaknesses and make them my strengths but if it’s something I can’t change like my height then I’ll just learn to accept it!When interacting with people it’s so easy to pick up their flaws but it’s better to accept that part of them and focus on the qualities that makes you like them!
8. It’s important to find out what your life values are!
Decision making is one of the hardest things to do in life and in 2013 I was really confused by some major life decisions – I didn’t know what to choose and what I wanted!!! That is still a problem I have but what really helped me was to find out what my values were. Some examples of mine are honesty, curiosity and enthusiasm!Here’s a link for more information about values:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_85.ht
9. Ask for help especially when you need it!
Before 2013 I always thought subconsciously that asking for help whether professionally or from friends was a sign of weakness and it meant wasting their time while adding to that person’s burden! I was really afraid of showing my weaknesses to people (and now I’m sharing this on the internet haha) but it really is what made the difference! If I didn’t seek help and support the way I did there’s no way I’d be as happy as I am now!Whatever issues you might be having right now – ask for some assistance! It doesn’t make you any less of a person and you might be surprised about how much better things will be for you! Also I learnt to help other people out when they need it and to be honest it makes me feel happy just to be needed by someone!
10. Don’t stop being creative!
Because I study Pharmacy and it’s a profession where rules are followed to an extreme because it’s concerning other people’s health but for the past 4 years I haven’t been able to express myself creatively in any way and to be honest that took a toll on me! Not saying I’m the greatest artist or most imaginative person but it is important to explore the creative side of our lives sometimes – It keeps things interesting!It’s the legacy you leave to the world! Blogging and dancing are the two things I’m doing that is creative right now and I love those two things so much!
I hope by sharing these things on the internet it can help one person who’s struggling with their issues to have courage to seek help and see some hope! Hopefully 2014 will teach me more valuable life lessons – Don’t ever stop learning!
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| one of my favourite selfies from 2013!! :D |
♥Lingfish~
P.S. I have many doubts and fears when I’m posting something like this on the internet for the fear of criticism and judgement but just remember to respect people’s journey and timing! No one’s the same!
