To be completely honest, this is my absolute favorite post to share each year. In fact, it’s the only blog post that I actually start writing up weeks before I plan on releasing it, and it’s not just because I always post it the Wednesday before my birthday. Rather, it’s because I enjoy new beginnings and starting over, and that’s what this post represents.

 

So…. a new year. A new age… Twenty. Seven. I’ll be honest in sharing that part of me is dreading these two specific digits. It means I’m definitely getting older and I sometimes find myself dwelling too much on the gap between where I am and where I had envisioned myself at this age.

 

But another part of me is excited. Excited to start a new year of life. To change things up if I want to and to learn more about who I am. And that’s the part of me that has been able to create this list. To recognize all the lessons I’ve learned and look forward to what this knowledge will help me achieve.

 

So, without further ado, 27 things I’ve learned this year (accompanied by 15 of my very favorite pieces), shared on the eve of my 27th birthday:

 

1. You don’t always get what you want, when you want it. And sometimes you don’t ever get what you want. It doesn’t mean, though, that life has to be terrible, for there are far greater things ahead than what we think we want right now.

 

 

2. You can travel the world, but everything you really need can be summarized in just six letters: Family.

3. If you want something, don’t just work for it. Plan for it.

 

 

4. You will have to see a doctor at some point. Get over it (but yes, visiting the doctor’s office is as bad as you think. So avoid it as much as possible).

5. Don’t make decisions when you’re upset.

 

 

6. It pays to follow through. With projects, with people, with everything. Either you learn from it or you get stronger. Both are excellent reasons to keep trying.

7. Life hardly ever goes according to plan.

 

 

8. Yes, you do get seasonal depression.

9. Yes. Dye the hair pink.

10. Focusing inward makes you more miserable, if that’s all you ever focus on.

 

 

11. Getting blood drawn isn’t half so bad as getting a shot, as it turns out.

12. It’s been far too long since you’ve left the country. GO. SOMEWHERE.

13. Silk Chiffon is a really difficult material to sew with.

 

In the Realm’s of Gold

 

14. Patience is not just a virtue. It is essential to growth.

15. Speeding tickets suck. Like… $120 suck.

 

 

16. You can’t do it alone and you will not find success without friends and without support. Even if you achieve your goals, you will have no one at the end to congratulate you, and you certainly won’t have anyone to cheer you on along the way.

 

 

17. Don’t argue with people. You will lose. Winning arguments may be some individuals’ superpower, but it is not yours.

 

 

18. Don’t create what you’re not passionate about.

19. Sewing sleeves onto a bodice is the absolute worst part of sewing.

 

 

20. Paying for your own health and dental insurance definitely makes you feel like an adult.

21. Some people are just not going to like you. Plain and simple. And that’s ok. Don’t dwell on it. Their opinion doesn’t really matter all that much in the grand scheme of things.

 

 

22. Really… truly…. All you need is twenty seconds of courage. Twenty seconds to pack your bags. Twenty seconds to get in the car. Twenty seconds to push the “call” button. Time and momentum will carry you the rest of the way.

 

23. Don’t try to get out of Boston on a Thursday or Friday afternoon. Unless you enjoy sitting in an I-95, I-93, or I-90-shaped parking lot.

 

 

24. You probably will never see huge, drastic changes. But recognize that little by little, one incremental change at a time, you will get there.

25. Scoop N’ Scootery is the supreme ruler of Peanut-butter-ice-cream-topping-hood. Four words: Peanut. Butter. Bomb. Sundae.

 

 

26. Faith is not made in the moments when you see your path most clearly, or when you hear His voice the loudest. Faith is when you can’t see anything, when all you hear is silence, and yet you still believe and you still have patience in His plan.

 

 

27. Perhaps it won’t work out. In fact, odds are, it probably won’t. But don’t sell yourself short by not trying. Because one day, you will say the right thing, go to the right place, try the right tactic, or meet the right person. But not if you don’t keep trying. Like fishing, you won’t know until you’ve already thrown your hook. So try it. Do it. Say it.

 

 

P.S. Don’t forget, tomorrow I’ll be announcing the winner of my giveaway and my new shop! If you’re not on my mailing list, click HERE to sign up and be entered to win a free print of your choice!