17 things 2017 taught me

We are now in the second month of the New Year and I realised I hadn't done a post on anything to do with New Years. Instead of goals etc, I thought I would start this year with what I have learnt from 2017. As they say, better late than never!

1) Cats are the best - For those of you who follow my Instagram and Twitter you may know I have two little fluff balls (Oryx and Nala) that are a pain sometimes but I love them to pieces. I have always wanted cats and when my husband suggested we got our little Oryx it meant the world to me. So towards the end of the year we couldn't resist getting another little fluff ball, who is now our little Nala. They both can be annoying little sods from time to time, especially at 3AM. In December we looked after Lola, my husbands' families jug (Jack Russell/ Pug), which really made me realise that in our current situation I definitely prefer cats!

2) Festivals are awesome - For Christmas 2016 my husband surprised me with tickets to Download Festival in June 2017, it was the best present ever. I had never been to a festival before and had always wanted to go. Somehow whenever I tried to go there was always something in the way, but finally I made it and it was awesome. So, as soon as the tickets got released for Download Festival 2018 I was right on booking those tickets, as you do. 

3) Be confident in yourself - Confidence was something I thought would always be a big issue and it stopped me from being able to do so many things. Slowly but surely I taught myself to have that level of confidence where I didn't overcompensate but I could go through experiences without being too afraid. I could meet new people and find new opportunities without worrying about the way I looked, talked or acted which made it so much easier. 

4) Only trust those who have earned it - I'll admit I can be slightly naive at times and taking peoples words for literal truth. Which, as you can imagine, ended up being wrong nearly half the time. It took a while, but I know now to take things with a pinch of salt. 

5) If things don't happen in a certain way, this is always for a reason - So, so many times I felt like pretty much everything was fighting against me rather than running with me. For most of these occasions it got me down initially but then something else happened which made me realise that life was actually fighting with me. Seeing things in this perspective has helped me so much and made me become more optimistic about my future. 

6) Netflix is worth the money - I would spend my last £8 (or so) on Netflix rather than shopping, well maybe not quite that extreme, but I do love Netflix. Before you ask, I am the one who pays for it and I have my two leaches (my husband and my sister) who had the cheek to tell me to upgrade to 4K and four screens because they couldn't watch it while I was using my own Netflix account! With all the new shows and films on there recently I couldn't be more thankful I made this decision (rather than signing up for a 30 day free trial - we've all been there on 3 or 4 different email accounts, don't lie). It has also helped over the past year for those rainy days where no one is about besides the cats. 

7) New people aren't always that bad - I am one of those people who joke around about having no friends (I do, they're just not within last minute meeting distance). But then when it comes to meeting new people it partially terrifies me, with so many things going on in my head. Will they like me? Are they as nice as they seem? Will this person be a big part of my life in the future? You know, the usual. Most of the people I have met have actually ended up being really nice. Now I don't have to joke around so much about not having any friends. 

8) Appreciate more - It is so easy to go through everyday doing similar things throughout the day and take things for granted. Then when it is no longer there, you wish you had appreciated this more. Now I try to see what I have got at the moment and appreciate the moment because I'll regret it if it goes. 

9) Gaming is life (almost) - I never really had an intense interest in gaming until I met my husband and he introduced me to Destiny. One thing led to another and I ended up with my own Xbox and several games. My love for gaming has grown stronger over the last year with finding new games to enjoy and it has helped me feel better in darker times.

10) Stop stressing! - Ever since going to university I have always been one of those people who over stress about the tiniest of things such as there's no bread in the house. It seems like such an important issue at the time then I look back and I think what the hell was I thinking. Anyway, I have sort of

managed to take a step back and try not to stress about things too much (I say try to because as soon as I wrote the sub heading for this I stressed about something, but I am getting there....).

11) Make new memories - When you look back over the last year, you don't always remember the times where you just chilled out (even though these are awesome), or the times where you just went to work doing the same thing over again. You remember the times that you had were you felt amazing and did something that has stuck in your head and your heart. I am thankful that I took up the offer for most of the occasions last year where I was presented with the opportunity to explore somewhere new and create a fond memory. I will, of course, be making more time to create new memories this year as well. 

12) Don't settle for less than OK, reach higher - You're unhappy with your location, place of residence, situation, job, partner, friends? Ditch them/it. Find where you are going to be happy and aim higher to get yourself in the situation where you're not just settling for less than OK. Last year we were living in a ground floor flat which was stressful and the company we were renting from were absolute aresholes (that's being kind). We moaned for ages about not liking where we lived and then one day decided we could move, and live somewhere nicer, so now we are in a nicer place and don't complain (so much). This is definitely something I will be going by this year as there is no point in just settling for OK and not being happy. 

13) Cut out the caffeine - This circles back to one of my previous points about over-stressing, which was often triggered by the amount of caffeine I had consumed. Towards the end of last year I decided to limit my caffeine intake and this has helped me chill out more and I have been able to cut this out completely now.

14) If you want something, go for it - There's nothing worse than the feeling of what could have happened if I just went for it. If there is an opportunity for something amazing, take it, don't let certain things hold you back. Because you will know that it will all be worth it in the end. 

15) Capture moments - It is hard to always have a camera to the ready when things happen, but if you go somewhere or see someone beautiful, capture it. While memories are always felt in our hearts, it is sometimes easy to forget experiences. So, when you've managed to capture that perfect (or maybe even imperfect) moment, you will be able to feel how you felt and relive the memory. 

16) Save up -  I don't know about any of you, but I find it so hard to save. If I know I have money spare (in my savings) and I'm not getting paid for a good week or two then I always end up dipping into this account. It's sad, but true. There have been so many times over the past year where I wish I had saved up for the occasion as it was just embarrassing to be the one with no money, or the one who couldn't do certain things. I will be working out a plan for this year so I know what I need to spend each month and realistically how much I can save away. (Fingers crossed this will actually work).

17) Smile - Finally, leaving the best until last. Life can sometimes be so cruel and it is hard to see the positive side to things but at the same time it can throw some amazing things to us. At this point we have to show that we are the winners here and cannot be defeated, blind that bitch with those pearly whites through a wide smile. Looking back over the years I can remember the times where I thought I was at my lowest low but also the times at my happiest, and I aim to make more of this year have the happy memories and try to stay positive. 

I hope you enjoyed this post on the things I learned from 2017. What sort of things did 2017 teach you? Feel free to leave comments below. 

Peace out!