Over my first 25 years of life, I’ve learned so much! I’ve experienced conflict, loss, difficulties, joys, triumphs, and successes… Through it all, God has taught me some important truths that will propel me through whatever the next 25 years have in store for me. Here are just 10 lessons that I’ve learned over the past 25 years that I feel are worth sharing for other to learn from as well:

1. Things don’t always go as planned and that’s okay – From all the punches life has thrown me in my first 25 years, I’ve learned to roll with them and move on and learn from them.
   1. It’s not always your best day, but better days are always ahead.
2. No one has to approve of you EXCEPT God – I’ve wasted so much time over the years thinking about what people think of me or whether or not they accept me… It was so freeing to finally stop worrying about what people think of me and recognize that my value and worth are found completely in Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross. Comparatively, no other person’s opinion matters.
3. Genuine peace has more to do with who you know than your current circumstances.
   1. On his death bed in 2012, my dad was smiling and encouraging everyone around him. He knew that Heaven would one day be his home. So he wasn’t worried as much about what would happen to his body as his soul. This taught me to learn to view everything in life in light of eternity.
4. Anything worth achieving requires hard work – Dreams don’t work unless you do.
   1. I’ve always been a hard worker and a determined person – My mom instilled into me at a young age that “I could do anything I put my mind too,” and this has been my mantra ever since.
   2. As fate would have it, the last 3 years of my life have been consumed with surviving dental school. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through – from late nights studying for multiple exams per week to endless lab work to tears over mistakes and failures to seeing patients and doing a variety of procedures for the first time. I have become so much stronger and learned more through this process than ever in my life.
5. Marriage has taught me more about myself than singleness ever did – there’s something about being in close proximity with a person and dealing with them daily as husband and wife that allows you to see things in them that their family and friends never did. This is a great opportunity for personal growth.
6. Family over everything! Family is one of the most important things in life, so hold on dearly to your family
   1. I lost my dad in February of 2012 and since then have clung tightly to my family. My sisters were already my best friends but now I value them more even more than before. I’ve realized that although we fight sometimes and don’t always see eye to eye, that my immediate family is the one group of people that I can always turn to no matter what.
7. Learning to love yourself, flaws and all, is an ongoing journey.
   1. I spent at least the first 17 years of myself not perceiving myself as beautiful and not appreciating my God-given features – deep brown skin, wide nose, big eyes, and high cheekbones. People would comment on how beautiful I looked and I never believed them. But one day, my mindset about myself changed and as I looked at myself, I finally saw what God say – beauty and strength. From then on, my journey of self love has continued and every day I begin to love myself more.
8. Health is wealth! You can’t put a price on taking good care of yourself mentally, physically, emotionally etc.
   1. Physical fitness is so important to prioritize – not just for weight loss or weight goals but also for a healthy balanced life.
   2. Mental health begins with a choice to guard your heart and mind.
9. Hard times teach you more than easy times – the struggle makes you a better person.
   1. Just know that when you’re struggling, you’re becoming stronger.
10. The more friends you make, the more you are forced to learn which friends will remain close friends. From high school to undergrad to dental school, I’ve gained new communities in each stage. But I’ve realized that some friends are seasonal whereas others are meant to be life-long; some seasons of life require a certain kind of support. God is able to continually provide people who will be there for us and sharpen us as individuals.

 
These were just a few of the life lessons I’ve learned over the years. I can’t wait to see what I learn in the next 25!
 
<3 Beryl

Life is hard.
Hard times and trials are a guarantee.
Our attitudes/reactions to trials are a choice.
 
The last few years of my life have been the hardest by far – dental school has stretched my limits time and again, and there have been many days when I didn’t think I would make it through. I’ve been forced to learn how to work harder than I ever thought I could. I’ve become accustomed to persevering and spending hours and hours to perfect a skill or prep for a patient. I’ve learned how to deal with all kinds of personalities and roll with the punches. I’ve cried many tears and spent so much time wondering if this journey was really for me. Then I realized that God has brought me this far for a purpose. It’s not by accident that I made it into dental school when there are so many people who applied with me and didn’t make it in.
 
God is working in the midst of my trials. He is making me into the person I will be.
 
Philippians 1:6
“Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”

​I love the quote “Bloom where you’re planted,” and it is the mantra that this blog is named after. To me, this quote encompasses a major lesson God has been teaching me over the past few years. You see, how we react to our difficulties makes all the difference in the outcomes. Why? Because the SAME seed can bloom in manure as one that doesn’t grow in different soil. Weird analogy but my point is that blooming where you’re planted means that in the midst of hard times and challenges, a person is able to still thrive and grow in spite of the times they’re in.  This is only accomplished through faith, positivity, perspective, and a good attitude. So regarding the example of dental school, sometime during my second semester I began to realize that I was stronger, more resilient, and more capable than I had ever imagined. In some situations, the difficulties force us to step up to the plate and achieve greater heights than ever before – and this is exactly what I did.
 
Dental school is just one example of me blooming. On my fitness journey I disciplined myself and lost 15 pounds during my first year of dental school in preparation for my wedding later that year. Whereas I was busier than ever, I still made time for my health. I was blooming.
 
When separated from my family and husband, the girl who was used to always having someone around and feeding off constant company had to learn what it was like to be alone and distant from those closest to her. I learned how to be okay with being alone and independent. I was blooming.
 
The same day that my dad passed away from stomach cancer, I found myself taking a general chemistry midterm. I knew my dad would’ve been happy to see me doing well academically and preparing for my eventual 5 admission letters to dental school. And what’s crazy about this is that I made a B on that exam. I was blooming.
 
BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED.
You are able to BLOOM and GROW and THRIVE and SURVIVE in situations that would otherwise destroy you. You are much stronger that you know.
So take advantage of whatever situation you find yourself in and try to adapt and make the most of it.
 
Where you are planted could be a stressful job, a hard season of family conflict, trouble with finances, or a problematic relationship. That situation or soil doesn’t have to determine whether or not you bloom. Allow yourself to grow from what is happening to you. Ask God to give you the strength to get through this hard time. I have faith that you will soon blossom into something beautiful, regardless of where you are, just as God intended.
 
#BloomBeryl