You Accomplished Enough In 2019

Now that 2019 is coming to an end, you can’t log onto social media without seeing statuses about everything your friends have accomplished this past year (and past decade). However, you cannot compare their successes to your successes. You cannot get upset about how your own list of accomplishments is smaller or less impressive. You cannot allow yourself to head into 2020 feeling like the last few years have been a waste, a failure, an embarrassment.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re single or married with children. It doesn’t matter whether you own your own home or are living with your parents. It doesn’t matter whether you’re working your dream job or still struggling to figure out what career path you want to pursue. You might not have reached the same milestones as some of your friends — but there is one thing you all have in common. You survived.

You survived heartaches. There were nights when you weren’t sure whether you would be able to move on without a certain person in your life, but here you are, still standing. There were moments when you felt like you would never experience happiness again after they shattered your heart, but you’ve smiled again, laughed again, maybe even loved again. You might not feel entirely like you again, but you’re getting there.

You survived loss. Some of the people you once considered your best friends have wandered out of your life. Some family members you thought would be on this earth forever have left it too soon. Even though it hurts to not have them around anymore, you’re okay on most days. You’re coping with what has happened. Your heart hasn’t healed, and maybe it will never heal completely, but it’s still strong enough to beat inside your chest. It hasn’t given up on you yet — and you can’t give up on yourself either.

You survived rejection. There were promotions you didn’t get, even though you thought you deserved to advance. There were jobs you didn’t get either, even though you would have loved to add them to your resume. There were people who made you think you weren’t good enough, people who encouraged you to give up on your dreams, but you survived those criticisms. You’ve survived those insecurities, even if you haven’t conquered them yet.

You survived all of your worst moments. You survived awkward conversations. You survived toxic relationships. You survived physical and emotional pain. You survived the worst things that have ever happened to you — and you don’t give yourself nearly enough credit for the strength that took. You might feel like it’s silly to say the greatest thing you accomplished in 2019 is that you survived, but that can take a lot of courage to do.

Think about it. You survived another decade! You should be proud of yourself for that. You’re here. And that’s all that matters. You can’t change the way you spent the last ten years, but you’re in total control of how you spend the next ten. Make them worthwhile. But if all you do is survive, that’s okay too.