By: Sergio Santolo
There’s a lot to reflect upon with each New Year. For a lot of us, the New Year is a time to reflect upon our successes, failures, opportunities taken, opportunities missed, and our mistakes made. It’s a time to critically evaluate ourselves and identify what we can change and do better.
Although I’m not a big fan of New Year resolutions, I happen to be keen about identifying some of the bigger lessons that I learned in the past year:
There’s always a silver lining. I happen to hold the belief that there’s always a silver lining. At the end of every year when I reflect on my experiences, I am always reminded about this fact. The silver-lining or the good hopeful/good that comes from a negative situation isn’t always immediate and we may never be aware of what it is, but I believe it’s there. When I reflect on any previous unfavourable event, there has always been a positive.
Everything happens for a reason. Although not the same as a silver-lining, this is still something I firmly believe in. There’s something comforting about knowing that what happens, whether it be a consequence from our deliberate choices or not, it happens for a reason.
Explore new opportunities. 2017 was the year that I explored new opportunities and sought new experiences. I think that deciding to explore new opportunities can be nerve-wracking for some, but the potential rewards are huge.
Don’t be afraid to take risks. Serving as a prerequisite for exploring new opportunities, fear of taking risks inhibits one from fully experiencing life. You will never be able to make calculated risks every time, and sometimes you just need to believe in yourself and take risks, whether you know the outcome or not.
Self-reflection is a therapeutic activity that I encourage everyone to take part in. Grab a pen and piece of paper and think about 2017. Jot down what made you happy or sad, what you’re proud of, what you would have done differently, and things you’ve learned. You may be surprised at everything you’ve overcome and learned throughout the year!
About Sergio
Sergio Santolo blogged for the Student Success Centre from 2017 to 2018.