2022 was a defining year in my life. I turned 50, started a new business, and lost my best friend to cancer. Despite this, it was also a year with more stability and happiness. I reflected more, I started writing and posting on social media. I was able to travel a lot more this year and connected with my friends far more this year than in the previous decade.

Throughout the positive and negative, I’m going into the new year a different woman, and these are the life lessons I’ll be bringing with me:

Life is fragile.

Your life can change in seconds, don’t take anything for granted. Every day is given to you as an eternity to be happy. My best friend’s passing and my father having a heart attack alongside my own medical issues, really made me face our human fragility and my own mortality. Life and health are never a given.

There’s always someone having a worse time.

I walked so much this year and passed many people in poverty, living on the streets and far worse off than myself. It puts things into perspective. You can learn and cultivate gratitude for what you do have when you recognise your privileges and the things that are indeed going well. Reflect and ask – are your worries and complaints valid? Or are they immaterial in the bigger picture?

Happiness makes room for even more happiness.

It becomes exponential, you attract joy when you spread it. I’ve become far more open to positive emotions to the point where friends have said, “it’s so great to see you this happy!” When you’re happy, it’s reflected, and it shows. Every day, I rate my happiness out of ten. Wherever it’s below an 8 I can reflect on any changes I might need to make like getting more sleep or working through a stressful situation. This daily reflection has brought me so much more happiness in my life.

It’s never too late.

Don’t give up. Things happen at the right time. When a door seems to close, it wasn’t the right time. For example, a rejection may drive you to become even better and stronger on the next try to be successful and so much more skilled and aware. Things happen at certain times for a reason. I’d given up on relationships and de-prioritised meeting anyone special. It was only when I finally became truly happy on my own that someone special came into my life.

Use your voice to express yourself.

It’s so freeing to find a medium to be able to express yourself. I began writing and sharing my story online and found it cathartic. I write for myself, and it’s a huge bonus if it can help anybody else along the way. Maybe you express yourself through music, art, fashion or poetry. Never neglect your creativity and find the outlet that allows you to do this.

Every day can’t be perfect.

This is where mindset is really important. Bad things happen to everyone. It’s not the event, but how you react to the event that causes distress. You can destroy your entire day with an argument over something irrelevant. Pick the fights worth fighting. There are many things that can upset you on a daily basis if you take it the wrong way.

If you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will.

People started questioning me and my decisions, but soon changed their tune when they saw how much I believed in myself. If others can see you have a strong mission, they will follow suit and also believe in you, becoming loyal to your cause. Remove those hurdles to confidence and limiting beliefs that are getting in the way of your self-belief.

Open your mind and you’ll grow so much more.

I’ve become so much more open-minded over the past 12 months. Being with people from different backgrounds, generations, and walks of life, I’ve been exposed to so many new ways of thinking. For a long time in my life I’d been closed-minded by remaining in the social circles I found myself in. Realise that everyone you come across has something valuable to offer and you can learn from them when you can let go of judgement.

Make time for friends and family.

This year I put friends and family before anything else. I spent time with those close to me over prioritising passions or career milestones that only gave satisfaction in hedonistic ways. I don’t regret a single second. You can always work more, but you won’t always have the time to spend with those around you.

2022 was a year of consolation and true happiness. The year I fell in love with life all over again.