2015. You've come and gone so quickly. Too quickly. It seems just like yesterday that we were celebrating last Christmas and parting ways with 2014. This year was a major year for me. It was the year I affirmed what I want to do with my life. I uncovered my strengths and weaknesses. I met new people. And subsequently, I learned a lot. Without me babbling any further, here are the five main things the year 2015 taught me.

1. Challenge yourself
It's the only way you'll grow as a person. Being quite a reserved person, not to mention a perfectionist, has always made stepping out of my comfort zone incredibly difficult for me. What's the point if there's the potential I'll fail? I've always been a little intimidated by new things, new experiences. A desire to be good at everything is impractical and impossible. 2015 has made me realise this and I've learned that instead of wanting or trying to be good at everything, it's better to take a risk. Two things can happen as a result: you can fly or fall. If the latter happens, you've discovered a weakness and you can learn from it. I've never challenged myself more than I have in the last couple years. While last year was probably more social, 2015 was the year I pushed myself creatively. And I am so proud of myself for that. I've always doubted my creativity but this year I feel it has grown and I've accomplished so much with it.

2. It always seems impossible until it's done
Do you ever sometimes sit there, staring into space and feeling so overwhelmed by the tasks you have to complete, unable to find the will to get started? I do. This was me at the beginning of each semester this year. Never had I seen so many assignments crammed into such a small amount of time. And I just sat there thinking, how is all of this going to get done? 2015 taught me the importance of baby steps - because small individual tasks make up one huge final result. I've learnt that while planning is key to success and achieving your goals, thinking too far ahead can just add to stress and feeling unmotivated. Of course, you get out what you put into something, and nothing worth having comes easy. Work hard and you'll accomplish what you set out to achieve.

3. Treat people the way they treat you
This applies to better and worse. As a kid, I was always so nice to everyone. A little too nice. I thought that if I was nice and polite to everyone, they would treat me the same way. But the obvious truth is people aren't always nice and occasionally people will take advantage of that niceness. And that's not fair. I've learnt that it's not a sin to treat people in the manner they treat you and sometimes it's impossible to be kind to absolutely everyone you meet. I'm not at all saying to be mean or a bully. But sometimes it's best to take a step back - sometimes two, or even three steps back - from bad company and cleanse your life of negative energy because life's too short to have others bring you down.

4. Bad things fall apart so better things can fall together
Sometimes, it all seems too difficult. Things aren't going your way. You're not getting what you want. Something - or someone - isn't what you thought it would be. But it's only the present and you have no idea what amazing things await you in the future. When you feel like your luck is bad, it's important to just keep going. Soldier on. Tough times are a test to see how resilient you are - they make you so much stronger than you were before. And when the storm passes, you'll be left with a beautiful rainbow. A clear day. A fresh start where great things will happen to you.

5. Self belief is important
This is something I majorly struggle with and something I plan to work on in the new year. I think the lack of belief in myself and my skills boils down to the fact that I am so critical of myself and expect so much from myself. I always deny that I'm good at something even when people tell me so. And I think recently it has moved away from humility and towards completely putting myself down. In this aspect of my life, I feel like I've become my own worst enemy. The older I get the harsher I am on myself instead of growing in self belief. I think I'm also this way because I don't want to build myself up too much for fear of disappointing people who might be relying on me to carry out a certain task. So 2016 is going to be the year I turn 'I can't do this' into 'I can do this'. After all, if I don't believe in myself, who else is going to believe in me?

I hope 2016 brings you all that you wish for and more. Stay happy and safe during your New Year celebrations!