2011, You Sucked A Big One

This year was the most tumultuous year of my life. In 2010 we said, "2010, you are not my friend" and then in 2011 we said, "2011, sounds like heaven".....boy were we wrong. I guess 2012 smells like hell? Who knows. This year was probably the most stressful for me but chocked full of life lessons. Here are some things I learned:

1. I've always had that House-like mentality that everybody lies and no one is what they appear to be. People said I was being too critical of others. Guess what, I was right all along! Life lesson 1: Everybody lies and people are never what they appear to be. Point Natasha.

2. The saying goes "it's what people do, not what they say". It's true. I can tell you the sky is purple and Big Bird is the president but that doesn't mean shit. It's our actions that dictate who and what we are. That's not to say you shouldn't listen at all because the combination of the two can reveal a whole lot as well. Actions, do in fact, speak louder than words.

3. If it's too good to be true, it's probably too good to be true.

4. It's OK to be scared, but you have to stand up for yourself and speak truthfully. You will ALWAYS feel much better in the end.

5. The biggest lesson this year: There is NOTHING you can't get through. Ever. Even when you've been to Hell and back, you have to figure, "hey I got back, didn't I?"

6. This world is actually smaller than it appears to be. We are all connected somehow. So, I guess watch what you say and what you do to others. It'll probably come back to you somehow.

7. On that note....karma is a bitch. "Do unto others as you would have have them do unto you" is another true wisdom. What you put out in the world will indeed come back to you. So be ready. Cuz there's quite a few people out there who are being hunted by Karma. And it's only a matter of time.....

8. People don't change. The end. Either accept them for what they are, or walk away.

9. I'm really glad I never made the decision to dorm for college. I would've been a hot mess. I was most definitely thankful for that choice after living with a girl and her dog and a couple of guys and their friends. I got my college experience in 1 year. Thank the lord.

10. I've always believed this....EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON. There is a reason why we go through the things we do, and interact with the people we meet and see the things that we see. We can't rush life because it's already written. And it's definitely hard to see the meaning behind things when you're deep in it at the time, but at some point you look back and realize that everything has come together to make you a better person. I feel like I've lived 3 lives this year. And it's gotten me closer to the person I want to be.

Sometimes we have to go a few steps back and acquire some battle wounds to get ahead in this life war, but it's not the individual battles that determines the victor, it's the overall outcome of the war. Winston Churchill said:

This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.

Winston, my dear man, how right you are.....