Edify Write

Now that we’re already a couple of weeks into 2026, I know it’s a little late to write a reflection on last year; however, there are some life lessons that I learned that I want to bring into and apply to 2026. I thought I’d share some of these lessons with you.

1. Change is a gift

Last year was filled with changes for my family. I graduated from school, became an RBT, and started this blog. My sister also got married, and my little brothers became teenagers. As time slipped through my fingers like falling sand, I found that change isn’t something that we simply have to experience; it’s something that we get to experience. We get to grow. We get to learn. We get to make new memories.

2. Step out of your comfort zone

I have wanted to share my writing with others for several years now, but I feared submitting my writing to literary journals. I kept putting it off and making excuses, telling myself that I was just waiting for the “right time” to share my writing with the rest of the world. When, really, I was just afraid of being rejected. Thanks to my family’s encouragement and support, this year, I stepped outside of my comfort zone and submitted two of my works to different literary journals. Guess what? I did face rejection, but I also got published in the Academy of the Heart and Mind. Now that I have done what I had been afraid to do for years, I can grow as a writer.

Try new things. Even mistakes and rejection teach you and help you grow.

3. Use your time wisely

As someone who has made countless daily and weekly schedules for myself, I thought I had good time management skills. In a way, I did. I worked hard, finished tasks, and stayed productive. But I learned that slowing down and setting time aside to just be still is also what using your time wisely looks like. We should schedule time not just for work, but also for family, friends, and rest.

4. Never take family for granted

I have always loved and appreciated my family, but all of last year’s change and growth opened my eyes to just how blessed I am to have my family by my side. I love them so much and never want to take them for granted.

5. God knows

Lastly, I learned that even if no one else hears you or sees you, God does. This was something that I had known in my head for a while, but God revealed it to my heart, giving me the quiet peace I needed to get through the hardest parts of 2025.

Conclusion

Another trip around the sun has taught me a lot. It came with countless mistakes, lonely nights, and anxious mornings, but it was all worth it.

I hope this post brought you some encouragement and gave you some lessons to remember this year. What did you learn in 2025? How will you use what you learned this year?