Seek Community: Lessons Learned in 2019
In this special, end-of-year, edition of Seek Community, we turned to you for advice, and we received a wealth of wisdom in response. We asked you: what were the most valuable lessons you learned this year (2019)? Thank you to everyone who shared their reflections. Each and every one has been truly inspiring and thoughtful!
.......
I think the most valuable lesson I’ve learned this year is to try to let go of perfectionism and control. That neither are really possible and trying to maintain both holds myself and others to an unrealistic expectation that only creates unhappiness. The minute I can accept what is and release the rest, all the good floods in.
-Kerry Vasquez
Take it slow! Life is short.
-Isadora Alvarez
I can cultivate my life into whatever I desire it to be.
-Hannah @Hannahtoriaa
I think this one has been brewing for a few years but 2019 really hit home to take proper time off. Take time to recharge each week. It’s the key to longevity and creativity and overall mental wellness.
-Paige Smith
Giving myself permission to practice self care.
-Yasuko Yamamoto
This Year has been full of trying new things in a lot of different ways. Not all of them were positive but I learned that it’s not always clear what progress looks like. And to appreciate growth in whatever form it takes.
-Mary Miltimore
What I learned is that emotions don’t make us weak, they make us stronger. I’ve learned so much in the past year just to conquer my emotions for my family. Today when I look back, I realize how many things I have learned now.
-Sonia Jain
The most valuable lesson I learned in 2019 is to trust the journey, it’s a process but we end up exactly where we are meant to be!
-Lauren Genest
The most valuable lesson I learned this year: no one knows the time you put into something, or the sleep you lost over it, or the amount of stress it caused you. All they see is the final product. So get your shit done, and do it well, but don’t wear your stress like a badge of honor!
-Abby Mills
I want to learn again.
-Florence Bourgade of @florenzcollection
My biggest lesson is that good things come to those who wait. This was true both personally (finally finding friends I truly relate to) and professionally (finding a company that inspired me). One or two years ago I contemplated leaving my current city but decided to stick it out and 2019 proved that I made the right decision!
-Emily Swart
I’ve always had workaholic tendencies, but this year I’ve found myself leaning into the “life” end of work/life balance and it’s been a wonderful, necessary change of pace. I’m in a bit of a transitional space career wise, which was initially uncomfortable for me, but I’ve learned that one doesn’t need to rush through these kind of threshold moments in life. It pays to pause and self reflect; to take stock of where you’ve been, where you are, and where you’d like to go.
-Brenna McDuffie
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned this year is to Let Go and Let Be.
-Erin @erinesesil
The most valuable thing I learned this year is that radical honesty, in searching for the relationships I need and the future I want, opens a path for hope and connection in an increasingly unstable world.
-Elise Gallant
