I think we can all agree that 2016 will not be missed. However this year was not a total waste. For me, 2016 was a year of learning and growing. I am very much not the same person who began this year in tears, and I fully intend to leave it in the dust. Here are some of the more cliché lessons I learned as a result of this past year.

Actions speak louder than words

This is pretty self-explanatory. A person can say they will be someone or do something as many times as they want, and you might even believe them, but words are empty without the actions to back them up.

Love is not something you say, it is something you do

Just because somebody says “I love you” does not mean they do. Love is something that is shown through every action. Love is respect and kindness and sincerity and honesty and intimacy and trust and comfort and time and attention.

When someone shows you who they are, believe them

If somebody begins to treat you badly, or always has, don’t expect them to change. Stop making excuses and justifying another’s actions. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…

Take chances when they are presented to you

Don’t get so caught up in one thing that you ignore everything else around you. Live your life to the fullest, and don’t let the stress or work or school or anything else keep you from taking chances.

You have to do good for yourself before you can do good for others

This is by far the most important lesson I have learned. It is okay to be selfish. It is okay to put yourself first. You have to be happy first before you can make anyone else so.

Bring it on, 2017, you will be the year of positive change.