PRICELESS LESSONS I HAVE LEARNT FROM 2016
“Be like a tree, and let the dead leaves drop.” ~Rumi
It’s time to let go of the old year and allow the new one in.
I love new beginnings.
A new friendship. A new career path. A new month. And now a new year…
There’s zero doubt in my mind that we’re all looking forward to a fresh new year, to reflect on the good, and the great, as well as the challenges we leave behind. We are eager to reinvent ourselves from having learnt all that worked well, and also what didn’t.
Each year we arrive at this point in the calendar and exclaim with surprise and disbelief that yet another year has gone by! Time, it seems, moves at such speed that we barely have a chance to take a breath to reflect.
We live in a world where speed and haste have become the norm. We respond faster and react almost at the speed of lightning. At times it seems we live on another realm rather than the one the clock on the wall dictates.
However, if we are mindful and pay attention, time really can slow down.
The past year for me has been all about simplifying my life and slowing down my thoughts. Yet, in terms of action, it has been one of the busiest years ever, with so much travel and even more learning.
Time has been urging me to increase my inner capacity, to maintain an attitude of allowing and not resisting, while paying attention to the opportunities that have come my way. I have been pushing the limits of my body and mind to be more, to do more, and it seems that as I cooperate with life, life begins to cooperate with me.
From Fashion Designer to Published Author now, I have written and published two books, The SoulMate Checklist and Your Body, Your Style, both of which became instant bestsellers. Looking back on this accomplishment I am truly humbled. Not for the mere fact that there was always a personal story that was the catalyst for the subjects I wrote about, but that the words poured out effortlessly with the Guidance of the Divine. My wish is that my readers will benefit and have the means to manage their chalenging relationships to self and with others, and feel the Love that surrounds them at all times.
So here we are, you and I, with another year to say goodbye to.
Here are some lessons I have learnt:
1. That success is not defined by what I have achieved or acquired. Success is defined by how much I have grown on my journey.
2. That there are no mistakes in life, only lessons learned and lessons yet to learn.
3. That the “death” of a relationship is just a reminder that every relationship goes thru its different stages and that nothing others do is because of me but about where they are on their own journey. Sometimes you have to bless them and move on, knowing that you have done your very best…
4. That family isn’t always blood. It’s the people in your life who want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are and who will love you no matter what.
5. That what I thought was failure was merely the Universe pushing me towards growth, to experience, to feel.
6. That when things don’t turn out as I have planned, it does not mean that I have failed. It merely means that there is something better waiting for me.
7. That life is a classroom in which one must evaluate one’s challenges and one’s experiences from all different angles so that one may grow into the best version of oneself.
8. That all the while I thought I was alone, I was being watched over with such compassion and being loved so unconditionally, beyond anything I could ever imagine. That feeling of total acceptance lingers with me even as I write this.
9. That every time I felt rejected it was I who was rejecting myself.
10. That love is not something “out there”. Love comes from the inside out. And each time I thought someone was loving me, in actual fact the love I’d been feeling had come from inside of me. It was always my own love that I was feeling. No one can give me any love I don’t already have.
11. That each time I felt like a failure because my love wasn’t recognized or appreciated by my family, it was not my fault, because I cannot make another person feel loved if they aren’t capable of loving themselves.
12. That freedom doesn’t mean that I have no fear. It means acting in spite of my fears. Because if I wait for my fear to go away before doing something new and different and challenging, I will wait forever. And fear is not an option for where I am headed.
13. That life is about taking chances and being willing to fail.
14. That I never want to live in regret for things that I did not do because that would be inconsolable.
15. That love is the antidote to fear. Fear steals from me, robs me of my freedom and keeps me stuck. My courage must be bigger than my fears.
16. That my mind creates my experiences of reality, always looking to prove that it is right. If I allow my mind to rule then it will rob me of the wonderful possibilities that await me in each moment. Therefore I must make my mind my friend.
17. That persistence is key to all success. If I take just one small step every single day, I will ultimately reach my goal.
18. That the illusion of safety is always more dangerous than the discomfort of innovation.
19. That my loved ones are my teachers, and rather than resent them or blame them for their part and their attitude and rejection, I can see them with love and be filled with gratitude.
20. That I can never give more love to others than I deliver to myself.
As I look back on my year, I am still astonished to see how masterfully the Universe forced me to go through exactly the experiences I needed in order to make the personal breakthroughs that I have. I am grateful for the obstacles I had to face, for without them I would not be who I am today, accomplishing all that I have, nor regained my self-confidence and self-worth that others tried to rob me of.
So much more good has happened that it’s not possible to put it all in writing. Looking back on 2016 I feel only gratitude and a true sense of fulfilling my purpose and the ability to keep doing more of what I love.
Happy New Year!
© Rani St. Pucchi, 2016
Rani St. Pucchi is a Relationship Expert, a Couture Fashion Designer, and an Image consultant. She is a Bestselling Author, a Speaker, an Inspirational Coach and a Trainer. Her bestselling books, The SoulMate Checklist : Keys to Finding Your Perfect Partner and Your Body, Your Style: Simple Tips on Dressing to Flatter Your Body Type are now available at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles nationwide. For more information on Rani please visit www.ranistpucchi.com
Rani St. Pucchi is an inspirational speaker, empowerment coach, bestselling author, image consultant, and founder and designer of St. Pucchi, the internationally acclaimed bridal fashion house. She draws on her more than 30 years in the fashion industry to help women abandon debilitating self-doubt, and become the designers of their own lives. Rani empowers thousands of women across the world with her message of body-positivity and self-love. 
