2016 has taught me a lot of life lessons, not just in my life but also through the lives of those around me. I’ve found myself learning from the adults in my life, and also being the adult for others. The lessons I have learned and witnessed people around me learn are life changing, and have made me realize something that I think we should all take as a New Year's Resolution.

We need to learn to listen.

As teenagers and especially during high school and college, it’s the ultimate lesson to learn. We think that we know everything already when really we haven’t even gotten our feet wet in this thing called life. When I was a college freshman, I didn’t want to listen to my mom about my crappy boyfriend. I didn’t want to listen to her about the people who I thought were my friends, or about the reality of paying bills. Instead, I had to make some mistakes until I finally was forced to admit one day that she was right and did, in fact, know what she was talking about. I even had a friend, one of my other cheerleaders, trying to tell me about the toxic people in my life. The toxic people aren't around anymore, but my mom, a select few other adults, and my true friends are still by my side.

The people in your life that truly have your best interest at heart will never tell you wrong. Over the last year I have truly come to see who those people are, which we all have to go through. I can honestly say that the people who have made themselves known to be my personal cheerleaders have shocked me. A few are people that I have known for my entire life, while some are people that I’ve only known for a few years. They all have one thing in common though: they aren’t afraid to tell me the truth, even if it might hurt my feelings. Try to decipher the difference between someone who is giving you advice based on your life, and not to fit their own agenda.

Those that are wiser than us through their experiences and have our best interest at heart aren’t going to steer us wrong. But we choose not to listen when we are young and think we know everything and end up getting hurt. My head cheerleader is my mom, but that doesn’t mean everyone’s is their mom. Yours could be your dad, your aunt, someone you work with, really anyone in your life that always has your back. Picture a person that is always there when you need them, never makes you feel bad about your mistakes or says I told you so, always advocates for you, and never just tells you what you want to hear. The person or people you are picturing are the people you need to be listening to.

After this horrible year of 2016, I do my very best to always listen to the things my mom tells me because I know that she isn’t just blowing hot air. She has been in these situations before and knows how to proceed. I’m still learning, and don’t always listen as well as I should. But that’s okay, because I know she and my other biggest fans will be there to help when I make my mistakes.

So as the new year begins, make it a resolution to figure out who in your life has your best interest at heart when they tell you something. Make it a resolution that the next time you are in a situation that one of your cheerleaders offers advice that you listen.