Let me start off by saying. I love love love New Years. I love the thought of a clean slate. I never put too much pressure in New Years resolutions though. I rarely follow through on those, but the whole idea of a new year excites me. I always have this sense of feeling as if I can do anything and the previous year is behind me and I keep that mentality up and it keeps me positive. 2016 was everything I had hoped it would be -- it was full of lessons, struggles, happiness, heartbreak, and adventures which makes you learn a lot. Throughout the year I learned:

Heartbreak makes you better.Towards the end of 2015, I had my first heartbreak. I spent the beginning half of 2016 healing from that. I can honestly say it made me a better person. I now love harder than I ever have before, I now understand hearts are fragile, and you should never take love lightly. Love is powerful and because of my heartbreak I will never treat anyone the way I have in the past.

Adventures are a must. I did a lot of things with the girls this year. I spent most of the year being single and I can honestly say I am so thankful for it, because I had these care less moments where I did whatever I wanted. Being single made me feel free and in a time when it was most needed. You have to take as many adventures as you can in this life. You must be willing to risk it all. Bills will be paid. I did not come into this life to work and pay bills. I remind myself that all the time. Adventures are out there and I will find every single one of them.

You have to love yourself. You are not cocky if you are in love with yourself. I truly believe you must love yourself before falling in love. It is the only way to have a real adult relationship. Loving yourself is difficult, because honestly you have to confront your fears, demons, and insecurities. It is a long and difficult process but it is the best process you will ever go through.

Let go and let it be. I typically have a hard time letting people go. I think the hardest lesson of 2016 was learning to let go of people and letting things be. It is hard because we believe we are in control of the outcomes and we can do something to fix things, but sometimes the way to let things get fixed is to not fix them at all. It is not easy trying to come to terms with outcomes you disliked, but you have to. Things fall apart and it happens.

You are not a size 2. I have always hated the way I looked. Nope, I am not a size two. I could probably eat pizza once.. okay maybe three times a week and be completely satisfied. I am healthy. I am beautiful. I had to learn that I will always find something I do not like about the way I look, but I am still beautiful.

Ice cream does fix everything. If I need to explain this further..... then go buy Ben & Jerry's.

It is okay to not be happy. 2016 brought some of the darkest times. I spent many months convincing myself I have to get out of bed... until one day I did not have to do that anymore. I learned through my dark days that it is okay to not be okay. You do not have to be. You do not have to hold yourself together for anyone, but you should NEVER allow yourself to be that low for very long. Find your way to the light.

Fall in love. I fell in love... again. Not only with a person but with myself, people, and the world. I fell in love with life and the things that come with it. I found beauty in pain. I know that if it rains the sun will shine soon. I fell in love with living and because of that I am no longer afraid of the "what ifs". I no longer question my instincts.

2016 was my most difficult year and my best year. The lessons that got me to 2017 will carry on. I am eager to see where the world takes me in 2017. Make yourself a promise: to live this year. Do not go into it with anything other than a positive attitude. Yes, the issues you faced in 2016 will still be there, but they can be there with a new perspective and sometimes that is all we need.