I’d like to share the seven things that changed my life this past year.

1. If something weighs us down, let it go.

This year, I began to get rid of toxic people. I did lose some people that were close to me, but now I know that those people haven’t been real friends and weren’t meant to be in my life. I actually feel relieved and released without them.

I have a tight circle of friends I can trust, I know myself better than ever and I am feeling alive every single day

I often had regrets concerning my past, and of course, in some situations I would act differently today. But fact is, you cannot change the past. So just accept it, forgive yourself and move on. Consider every mistake as a lesson that made you grow, and always remember that you wouldn’t be the person you are today without all the tough times and hardships that challenged you in the past.

Accept that you aren’t invincible and that even a broken heart or a fight with a close friend can give you something positive. You can always experience new sides of yourself, so just taste real life, with all it’s beautiful but also it’s hard and painful aspects. This is the secret of being alive.

It is also important to let go happiness.

Happiness is a mood and not a life goal or a permanent state. Enjoy the happy moments, and accept when they are over.

2. Own less material stuff. Spend some time alone.

This year, I moved into a new apartment and I only took the most important stuff with me, which turned out to be a good decision. Trust me, the more things you’ve got, the heavier you feel. Create some space in your room and throw out things you don’t need necessarily. You will instantly feel the difference.

Try to spend time on your on. Take one hour every day where you can just be yourself and think about everything that’s going on in your life. Turn your phone off. Think about everything you are, and everything you want to be.

Be honest to yourself, love yourself… if you don’t love yourself, you are not ready to love other people.

3. Be open minded and accept every change in your life how it comes.

This year, I lost a good friend, and I got over it when I started to accept the situation, because I couldn’t change it anymore. What happens will happen, so don’t try to control everything around you and just believe in fate. Everything happens for a reason. Don’t waste your time searching for answers, certain things just cannot be explained. So just accept the change, let go, move on and focus on your aims and the future. If you lose something, don’t consider it as a loss but as a liberation.

Total freedom comes through losing. Nothing lasts, so live fast, take some risks, and pursue your dreams.

4. Believe in something, faith gives us power and makes us stronger.

This year, I became stronger due to my faith. Probably it is not really important what you believe in, whether you believe in God, in the power of the universe, in angels, in miracles, in your dreams or in rebirth. The important thing is not to stop believing in something bigger, greater, that can lead you if you’ve lost track. So never lose your faith, because if you lose it, you will lose yourself.

5. Be good to your body.

This year, I stopped drinking alcohol, which was one of the best decisions ever. Treat your body well and you will feel great. You are not yourself when you are drunk, and the more often you are in this state, the more you will lose yourself.

Eat clean, train hard, and you will experience your body deeply. This year, I started doing pilates and I love it because it gives you the possibility to have full control over your body. It’s not only a physical challenge, it is also about discipline and self-control. I am a stronger person now. I am able to control my mind and body, and I am strong enough to stay clean and not to give in to negative influences.

6. Experience nature.

This year, a quote by Henry David Thoreau from “Walden“ has influenced my life:

“I went into the woods because I wanted to live deliberately. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life… to put to rout all that was not life; and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.“

It has become my motto, because in my opinion, this is the key to a great life.

This year, I spent a lot of time in the forest. Alone or with a good friend, just take a walk in the forset and it will heal you. The silence, the fresh air, the patience, just this great and inspiring atmosphere. Love the earth, and it will love you. Be one with nature and you will experience yourself in a different way. Stay down to earth. Find this one place outside where you feel safe, where you can always go, no matter what you’re going through.

7. We are what we think.

This year, I spent much time thinking about myself, and finally I can say that you shoudn’t try to define or to limit yourself. Try to be whatever you want to be, everything is possible. Change often, try different things, live different feelings and moods deeply. Just live.

I used to believe that one day there would be this point in life where you know you found yourself, but actually, as I had to find out, it is a process and never stops. There are always going to be times where you feel lost, and others where you feel found.

The important thing is not to stop learning and developing, and to work on yourself all the time. Dream big, think positive!

 

 

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Editor: Renée Picard

Photos: Pixoto