Living in the Light: My Year of Awesome

Have you ever seen people posting on social media about how terrible a year has been? It seems like 2016 was the year that everyone loved to hate. But when a friend asked me if anyone had a good year, I realized that I had. In fact, 2016 has been the year of awesome for me. And it’s not because I won the lottery or found the secret to world peace. It’s because I made a decision to be happy, no matter what. I decided to spend my days living in the light.

Living in the Light?

What does it mean to live in the light? For me, it’s a philosophy that helps me avoid getting bogged down by the ups and downs of life. Bad health, heartache, financial worries – none of these things can come between me and my happiness.

Most of my life has been filled with tremendous ups and downs. I’ve struggled with depression and coping skills. But when I turned 40, I decided that nothing would ever keep me from my happiness again. I promised myself that I would stop beating myself up and worrying about validation from others. Listening to my own mind and heart to priority. I told myself that it was okay to make mistakes.

Change Your Mindset

Life is more about how you respond to the things that happen to you than the things themselves. I came to a point where I had to choose – continue on the roller coaster or choose to stop. And I chose to stop. I started focusing on my strengths, not my weaknesses. Additionally, I surrounded myself with those who loved me and did what I wanted to do with my time. Also, I forgot about having a fancy title and a nice office. If I was hurting, I pushed past the pain and kept pushing forward. And since then, I’ve been “living my life like it’s golden.”

Looking back on 2016, I can honestly say that it’s been an awesome year. Here are some of my highlights:

1. In January, I hosted a press conference at the National Press Club.
2. In March, I was featured in a documentary celebrating the 35th anniversary of Humanities DC.
3. In May, I was selected as a World Learning Leadership Development Fellow.
4. In June, I began working for myself full-time.
5. In June, I returned to Egypt after 3 years.
6. In July, I traveled to Ghana.
7. In July, I traveled to London.
8. In August, I traveled to Nashville and spoke at Ladies, Lipstick, and Luggage, alongside Adriane Alfred.
9. In August, I returned to Egypt for a 4th time.
10. In August, I traveled to Munich.
11. In October, I celebrated 41 years of life.
12. In November, I was invited to and attended the Kind Foundation’s Social Entrepreneurship Summit in New York.
13. In November, I co-wrote a book with Seneca Gates.
14. In December, I launched Parra Fdn’s project in Colombia.

So why am I sharing all of this with you? Because I want you to know that you can choose to live in the light too. You can decide to be happy, no matter what. You can focus on your strengths, surround yourself with people who love you, and do what you want to do with your time. Life is too short to live any other way.