\nNothing worth having comes easy and nothing will come without putting in the work. It’s really as simple as that. If you want something, you\u2019re going to have to work for it. No excuses.<\/p>\n
2. People Change<\/strong> 3. Be Creative<\/strong> 4. Children Change Our Lives<\/strong><\/p>\n Celebrating Maxwell’s First Birthday<\/p><\/div>\n When you have a baby you\u2019re absolutely and wholly consumed by it. Starting the year as a new mum totally changed me. Now, I must think about my son before making any major decision. I\u2019ve learnt what it really means to put a person\u2019s needs above my own. <\/p>\n 5. The Storm Will Pass<\/strong> 6. The Little Things Matter<\/strong> 7. You Deserve To Be Proud Of Your Achievements<\/strong> 8. I Am A Speaker<\/strong><\/p>\n Speaking at \u2018#NotTheCost: Stopping Violence Against Women In Politics\u2019 Conference in New York – March 2016<\/p><\/div>\n This year, I’ve had several opportunities to speak in front of world leaders, governors, first ladies, social influencers, couples, youth, students and many more like never before. For years I\u2019ve described myself as \u201ca filmmaker who sometimes speaks.\u201d I still see myself as a creative person first, but this year I\u2019ve come to accept being a speaker doesn\u2019t have to look just one way. It doesn\u2019t have to mean I speak in stadiums to crowds of thousands and it doesn\u2019t have to mean I have to be super polished. From speaking to small audiences to high profile international platforms, my voice has been amplified like never before.<\/p>\n 9. Open Your Heart<\/strong> 10. Health Is Wealth<\/strong> These are my lessons, I’d love to read yours. What important lessons have you learnt this year? Let’s reflect on 2016 and share our experiences. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Every year brings lessons – some good, some bad, and I wanted to share some of the main ones I\u2019ve learned so far. I\u2019m quite sure you’ve heard of some of these lessons, but sometimes you just need some one to remind you of certain things and hopefully I can do that here today. It\u2019s important to be grateful for each and every year that teaches you something new. Here are the 10 things I\u2019ve learned in 2016\u2026 1. You Have To Put In The Work Nothing worth having comes easy and nothing will come without putting in the work. It’s really as simple as that. If you want something, you\u2019re going to have to work for it. No excuses. 2. People Change People will always come to your life to teach you something, but they may not always be there. People will surprise you with their capacity to change. People will surprise you with their capacity to change you. Just learn from them and let go, never feel attached. Sometimes, the best support system you can have is yourself and your ability to find strength from within. 3. Be Creative I think it became clearer to me this year, that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[368],"class_list":["post-7374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stephs-lounge","tag-new-year"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7374","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7374"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7374\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7387,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7374\/revisions\/7387"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7374"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7374"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7374"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nPeople will always come to your life to teach you something, but they may not always be there. People will surprise you with their capacity to change. People will surprise you with their capacity to change you. Just learn from them and let go, never feel attached. Sometimes, the best support system you can have is yourself and your ability to find strength from within.<\/p>\n
\nI think it became clearer to me this year, that it’s a beautiful part of who we are to create in some way. We are created in God\u2019s image and just look at His creation! Creating and making are built into us, it energizes and refreshes us. Something as simple as cooking can be so fulfilling. Find your thing. Try new things! Whether it\u2019s music or designing. God delights in our creativity and gives us ideas when we exercise it.<\/p>\n![\"Celebrating](\"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/maxwell-birthday-300x251.jpg\")
\nSometimes, we get so consumed by the tough times we are facing, but just at the right time, God sends help our way. I’ve learnt in no little way this year that the darkest hour is just before the dawn. <\/p>\n
\nHow much money you have, what you weigh, how many followers you have on Social Media… that’s not the real value of happiness. A simple hello, a warm smile, a family moment… that is truly priceless! What really matters is the number of hours in the day and what you choose do with those hours. You\u2019ll always be able to find value in other things but the true value comes from making the most of all the things that you are, right now.<\/p>\n
\nI think that\u2019s one thing that I neglected to do. I was so busy on other things: Reviews, Festivals, Awards, Lists… I forgot the simple fact that I directed and produced a socially relevant movie that is touching lives around the world. People have watched my movies. They\u2019re still watching my movies. That\u2019s something. And no matter how good or bad it does, no one will ever take away the memories of working with my amazing team, or my husband hugging me, telling me how proud he is.<\/p>\n![\"Speaking](\"https:\/\/www.stephaniedaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/not-the-cost-300x200.jpg\")
\nThe good and thing about living and loving with an open heart is that you\u2019re open to receiving everything. You\u2019re open and raw and vulnerable. But here\u2019s the catch: you\u2019re not open and raw and vulnerable so that people around you have power. You\u2019re open and raw and vulnerable so that you can step into your own power.<\/p>\n
\nYou\u2019ve definitely heard this one before. The problem is, few of us act on this information. This year I have been proactive in taking care of my health. By simply improving on my diet and choosing healthier food, I’ve seen a significant improvement in my health. Compare that with spending thousands in hospital bills and it’s worth it! Feeling healthy is awesome, and it\u2019s cheaper than being sick. <\/p>\n