The past three years have been a detrimental part of how much I grew as a person. There are many things I realized, and it's only right I share them with you (if there's anyone still left reading this):

1. Life doesn't stop for you or anybody. There was a point in time that I felt as though time was moving too fast. Like I was stuck in the past. I kept on denying that I have to start being responsible for myself and those around me. I took my time, and eventually I realized that denying won't make it better. Delaying won't produce better results. Just because I'm stuck in time doesn't mean the world is. Everyone is growing, everyone is moving, and I can't just stop and deny that I have to, too. So, go. Live your life. Embrace your responsibilities. Be accountable for your mistakes. Be ready for anything!

2. It's not true that you shouldn't care about what others think. Just choose the people whose opinions matter. I've preached ENDLESSLY about being yourself and not caring about what others think. And it's nice that I still get to read my point of view at age fifteen. But it's childish to just "be yourself" and "not care". There will always be people whose opinions matter to us, whose suggestions are important to us. These are the ONLY people you should worry about, because they know what's best for us. Sometimes we're caught off guard by how much we want to be ourselves that we don't realize we might come off as rude, or we hurt other people in the process. We need people who will keep us on our feet and remind us about the importance of living a life that is best for you and the people you decide to spend your life with.

3. A healthy lifestyle helps keep you sane. I used to be careless about what I eat and what I do. This is why I used to be unhappy with the way I look. I lost weight in the past three years (around 30 lbs). I realized that the reason I used to be so insecure is that I disregarded my wellbeing. I ate junk for the most parts of the day, did not do any kind of exercise. After starting eating healthy and exercising, I instantly felt better. I'm not sure if this will work for everyone else, but this makes us feel like we have control over our lives. And it keeps me in touch with myself. 

4. Let go of things you can't control. Someone left you? A loved one passed away? A global pandemic? These are some of the things that just happen. And they are not things you can control. I learned the hard way not to dwell on things I can't do anything about. Of course, losing a loved one may hurt. But know that it happened for a reason. And that reason is not to harm you, or hurt you. So accept peacefully that life goes on regardless of what happens around you. Focus on the things you CAN control (living a healthy life, surrounding yourself with people that are good for you, doing well at your job or studies, etc)

It's amazing to see how much I've grown since I started this blog. I've contradicted myself a lot of times, and it only shows how what we used to believe in is not permanent. There's always room for improvement and personal growth, and it's so important that we see that. 

How you think now may not be how you used to think. Who you are now may not be who you used to be. Where you are now may not be where you expected to be, but it's where you're supposed to be, and you're who you made yourself to be.