After reflecting on the lessons I learned from men in my life, I realized there were many strong women in my life who’ve helped me grow into the person I am today. It’s important to me, as I realize I’m becoming an adult, to not only recognize when someone has made an impact on my life but to acknowledge that impact and take the time for myself to discover what that impact was.
I encourage everyone reading to take a moment, even just a couple of minutes, to recognize some of the people that make your life (or even just your year) better. Especially as we approach 2023, these lessons can help you discover what kind of person you want to be going into a fresh new year! Without further ado, here are the women in my life and the lessons they’ve taught me!
My Mom
Throughout my life, my mom has always been supportive of me. She’s understanding when I don’t do well on something and while she always encourages me to try my best, she also recognizes that my best is all I can do. She’s helped me understand that “failing” isn’t the end of the world; instead, it’s a part of life. She knows I can’t be good at everything but as long as I’m doing the best I can and putting effort into my work, then she’s just proud of me for trying.
My Stepmom
I was lucky enough to experience love and kindness from both my stepparents and thus, they have both taught me similar lessons. My stepmom taught me that love doesn’t come from whether you’re blood relatives, it comes from shared experiences and the time you spend learning about another person. She’s been in my life since I was eight (11 years!) so my memories pretty much start with her in my life. She has loved and cared for me since day one and I could not be more grateful!
My Grammy
My Grammy has always been a really strong female role in my life. Like anyone, she’s experienced her fair share of hardships, but never once has she let that impact her relationship with me. She has always radiated love and she taught me what it means to work hard and not let that have an impact on the love you give to others.
My Great Aunt
Like my great uncle, my great aunt came into my life a little later on but has made me feel like I’ve known her forever. She has always been one of the kindest souls I know and it did not take a long time to make me feel like close family. She taught me that I’m fine being exactly who I am and that if someone is supposed to be in my life, they will love and accept me for me!
My Best Friend
It’s so hard to pick one lesson I’ve learned from my best friend because she’s been around for so long. We met in Grade One (we were the only kids who didn’t know anyone so of course, we became best friends) and since then she’s always been there for me. While it’s difficult to narrow it down, the biggest lesson she’s taught me is that people who are meant to be in each other’s lives will find a way. We’ve gone through a fair bit of challenges in our friendship, as well as distance, but we’ve done our best to ensure we get through those problems and come out stronger on the other side!
My Ex-Best Friend
I definitely have an issue with seeing the good in people so I usually try and find lessons or takeaways from a relationship, especially if it doesn’t work out. This friend and I were really close for a couple of years and had a falling out when we realized we were forcing the friendship. However, looking back, she taught me how important it was to be myself. We would always have rifts over our interests and she never took an appeal to something she didn’t already like. At the end of our friendship, I realized that if someone can’t take the time to be happy for me without needing to insert themselves into that happiness, then maybe I’m better off without them!
People in your life will come and go. Sometimes you’ll meet someone meant to be there for the rest of your life’s show, and some people are just there for character development in filler episodes. However, filler episodes are what help the story move along and it’s always good to understand and appreciate how you’ve grown as a result of the people around you. This may also help you realize that you’re important for growth in someone else’s life, and there’s just something so special about that!