I’m writing this at 12AM, trying to welcome the last month of 2018! Happy December, you guys, it’s Christmas time.

I just wanted to share my thoughts about this year. I am LITERALLY a whole different person than I was in 2017. Last year taught me humility, and this year taught me courage. Last year was life-changing, but this year was redemption. I never thought I could still go back to being the old, happy, confident girl that I used to be. 

I turned 21, I got dumped, I marched at my graduation day, I got regularized, I relaunched my business, I rode a plane for the first time, I traveled to a foreign country for the first time, I started a travel vlog, I failed, I succeeded — basically I have done a lot more than I could have ever imagined. Looking back, I can’t help but give myself a soft pat on the back for trying. For surviving. For thriving. For being able to make myself happy in the little ways I can. I am proud of myself.

To say “a lot of things happened” is an understatement. It’s true, though. But the real highlight is that I confronted my issue of being not good enough face-to-face. It was ridiculous, actually, to believe that I was never good enough. Because I always have been, I always am, and I always will be. To doubt yourself is the biggest mistake you could ever make. If there’s one person to believe in you, it should be yourself (and your mom, of course). You may not be getting the results you want now, but the little things you do every day to survive and thrive, those are the only things you need to achieve your goals. You are bound to do great things, because little things are not so little, after all. Keep doing what you do and you will be surprised at what life has in store for you. Who knew I’d be able to do all those things in a year? Not me, but I did it anyway. Surprise, surprise!

And for the first time, in the longest time, I feel like myself again.

Read the original article written by Prei on her own website at Shine On!