Starting a new year is always a very reflective time for me — as I am sure it is for many other people. The end of each year, or the beginning of each new year I try to reflect about the year I just had an what lessons I’ve learned. This last year for me was like a rollercoaster with many highs and many lows. In 2024, I’ve had many new characters, and experiences introduced into my life, and I’m grateful for every single experience from this last year.

I’ve thought a lot about the overall lesson that I’ve learned through this previous year and the overall theme throughout the whole year was learning when to walk away — which throughout my life has been incredibly hard for me to do. From the beginning of 2024 to the very ending of it I was put in situations where I had to apply this lesson.

When I first started 2024, I was leaving a job I had worked a long time and was comfortable/ safe to me, but I knew I needed a change and to take a risk, or I wouldn’t grow. Flashforward to the end of 2024, I had to make an hard decision and walk away from someone I cared about so much.

When I was younger, I used to think that walking away was giving up or it meant that I didn’t care about something. As I’ve grown, I’ve realized it means the exact opposite. Choosing to walk away from something that you still care about whether this be a job, relationship, lifestyle, etc. because you know it is the right thing to do shows that you do care, and it takes an incredible amount of strength to do. It means that even though you may want that thing in your life in a certain way you know it is not the right thing to do, and that you must find the inner strength within yourself to let it go. It is about finding the self-discipline to do what is right, not what is easy.

I just want to clarify a little bit — I’m not saying to run away from your problems. That is not what I’m saying at all here. What I am saying is knowing when you need to walk away from certain things that are not serving you and also knowing when that is the right thing to do in a certain circumstance.

As I am writing about this topic now, I am now personally, in this very moment, dealing with the grief of having to walk away from someone I honestly still care about, but I know in my heart it was the right decision. It’s hard because even though I still want to talk to this person, and I miss them –I know that will not benefit me or this person if I reached out. I know the easier option to do in this situation would be to reach out to to this person, but I know that isn’t the right thing to do. Right now, I know the right decision is to let this person go even though that is the harder thing to do. I know that decision is what is best for me and also for this other person.

Even though learning this lesson of walking away has been very painful for me — learning this lesson throughout this last year has been incredibly valuable to my life, in all aspects of my life. Even if at the time I was in it I couldn’t see it. I’ve learned how hard it is to have the courage to walk away, but I have also learned that every time I have had to do this it was always for the best.

If you are reading this and you are going through something similar I just want you to know that even though you may feel alone right now, you are not, and if no one told you today I am so proud of you! It may be hard right now, but I promise you it will get better. You will make it through this. You are so much stronger than you know. Much love to you all.