Reflection

This year has been such a period of growth for me. One of the hardest and best years of my life thus far. I truly believe that God puts us on our journeys for one soul purpose. I truly believe that every single thing that happens in our lives happens for a reason. It happens to bring us to this exact moment.... right now. It brought me to this exact moment: 1:47 AM, Thursday, almost Christmas, and reflecting on this amazing year.

I allowed myself to let go of things and people that I thought were disrupting my growth. However, I never regretted having these people and things in my life. I am happy that they were there. I am happy that they contributed to my growth over the past year. I do believe that somethings are temporary, and that they are placed in your life to simply teach you a lesson.

You should never allow yourself to feel so consumed into anything, especially a relationship that makes you question who you are and who you are becoming. You should never allow yourself to feel like you are being controlled by another human being, and thinking that it's normal out of love. No matter how much you may love something or someone, you need to focus on your well being above all else.

I allowed fitness to become my place of peace this year. I allowed it to come into my life and take over. This has been one of the best decisions I've made in such a long time. I can walk into the gym and spend an hour and walk out feeling so on top of the world. I can release my stress, anxiety, and anger towards anything into something. Fitness has become my therapy for any hardship that I may go through. Especially this year.

I have become a happier and more positive person this year. By letting go of things and letting other things in I have found what makes me happy. You have to let things go and let new things into your life in order to find what truly makes you happy. You absolutely can't stay in your comfort zone in this life. It is made for so much more than that.

This year has changed my life for the better. I let go of people who once meant the world to me. I have become healthier. I have made friendships that are going to last me a lifetime. I have experienced so many new things this year. All contributing towards a happier, more motivated, and inspired human being who absolutely loves life.

Growth is so important. I want to continue on this journey throughout the next year. I want next year to be even better, and future years to be even better. This life is so amazing. I am so blessed.

-Hayley