I had originally thought that I wanted to cover a variety of topics for this year’s blog posts… but the more I thought about it, the more I figured I should keep things concise. If there is one thing that I have learned this year – it’s that sometimes less is more.

Don’t get me wrong, I definitely learned a lot this year… but it’s because the things that happened I had to experience first hand. Travelling around Europe solo for example; this was a huge learning experience about myself as a person. Sadly, it’s not something I can write and have the reader (you) be able to relate on a personal level. You’d have to travel around Europe (or wherever you please) yourself and even then, you may learn something totally different.

Although – I do have one piece of advice that many probably think is common sense, yet don’t practice:

Spend time with those who matter.

As previously written, I had a close friend pass away earlier this year. Looking back, I wish I could have spent way more time with him if I had known. That isn’t an excuse though as we all know that we’re going to go at some point.

On top of this, I’ve had to see my Nana go through ill health and dementia to become a shell of her former self. While she raised me and we spent 16 years together, I still feel like there is so much more I could have learned about her as a person and her life experiences but never did. I never took the opportunity to really learn about the upbringing my Nana had as a child or young adult. She taught me a lot, and definitely made me who I am today, but I still feel like there is more to the story that I will sadly never be able to know because I didn’t take enough initiative while I had the chance.

Again – it’s so easy to say but cherish the time you have with people. It’s not always going to be easy, but putting in a small amount of effort now will go so much further when you look back in life. Make the most of the moments you have now, not what you think you’ll have in the future.