What Did You Learn in 2009

What Did You Learn in 2009 Today my Twitter friend @MattFagioli posed the question/tweet: What did you learn in 2009?   Something you didnt realize in 2008. I couldnt answer the question in a tweet because my answer would far exceed 140 characters. Where do I begin?   Here are a few bullet points of what Ive learned this year, but Im way more interested in what YOU learned this year, so please comment back and let us know! 1.   Not everything goes as planned.   I ended a relationship and moved out of the apartment  my ex  and I shared only  6 months into our 1 year co-signed lease.   2. Standing up for what you  believe in is worth any and all consequences, expenses and inconveniences.   I moved out within 3 hours  of calling my Mother and telling her, Mom, today will be my last day in this apartment and my last day  in this relationship.   Im not sure how the hell Im going to move all of  my shit out of here  by this afternoon, but Im doing it.      I moved back to my parents house that day, and enjoyed a four hour/day round trip commute  for over three months.   It was worth every penny and minute of inconvenience.   It was not cheap to make this decision (I continued paying rent while I didnt live there)  and it wasnt convenient either, but it was the right thing to do and my life has changed for the better because of it. 3. Staying true to yourself is freaking amazing. Looking back on that relationship, I realized that a part of me had died.  I decided that was the last time Id ever invest my time in situations or people  which are not  aligned with my values.   I decided that from now on, Im in the drivers seat.   My personality, ambitions  and crazy quirks are not going to change, and if you dont like it, WAHHH!   Too bad. NEXT! 4. Knowing what you want is so important.   If you dont know who you are and what you want, youll take anything you can get (whether it is in regard to friendships, dating, jobs, etc).    Taking whatever comes because you dont know what you want  will ultimately result in stress, anxiety and feeling lost.   This is every twentysomethings big challenge: trying to asnwer that very question of who you are and what you want. 5. Little things are big things. I can go on and on about this one.   I started a new relationship and a new job in 2009 and its crazy how many little things were stressing me out that I didnt even realize.   Also, the smallest things mean so much to me: emails from you guys, tweets, thank yous, laughs with friends, (my puppy)  Giadas little  tirades. 6. Go with your gut.   Thank God I did. 7. Nurture your friendships and think of  them as family. And my theme for 2010?   Get comfortable being uncomfortable.   If you keep doing the same things, youll keep getting the same results.   No need for that. What did YOU learn in 2009? Rock it in 2010 guys!