Grateful for…the 2021 Edition

This is my list of things to be grateful for in no particular order (except the first item and last item which are italicized).

• I am grateful for parents who taught me about God, what to do look for in other people, and how to be respectful of people with differences.

• I am grateful for brothers, cousins, Aunts and Uncles who provided knowledge about life!
• I am grateful that I have come to a place in my life that I feel like I can finally express myself and provide my own narrative.
• I am grateful that I made it through 2020. It was a difficult time. The most difficult was learning me ALL OVER AGAIN! I spent a lot of time with me…and it was both good and miserable (haha).
• I am grateful that I appreciate all the ways to learn. You can learn in a classroom, through therapists, mentors, financial advisors, friends, family members, your boss, or a little kid.
• I am grateful that I appreciate approval but don’t require it.
• I am grateful I am truly learning how to be a better friend. It has been a long road to get here. I was kind of selfish for awhile.
• I am grateful for the chances to say “no” and mean it without apologizing for it.
• I am grateful that I understand how to take chances. I really enjoy having new experiences. I don’t get as nervous as I used to get about trying new things.
• I am grateful for people who didn’t like me, and were honest about what they didn’t like about me. I don’ t look at them as “haters.” They have helped me grow as a person. How can I hate on that? I didn’t completely change who I was because of what they said, but it did make me take pause. And I appreciate that.
• I am grateful to my nieces and nephews who continue to teach me the real value of life.
• I am grateful to see life with new eyes in 2021. I think we all had to figure some things out for the first time. It has been needed but also terrifying to understand I have to work differently to achieve goals.
• I am grateful my goals are changing. I am doing for me (in the “good selfish” way). I am doing better about thinking for the future and not just the present. I have real career and financial goals set for myself.
• I am grateful that I haven’t given up on myself.

• I am grateful to have the opportunity to make my dream of publishing books a reality!

Thank you to all of you. All of you made me who I am today.