2014 was a big year. Loads of dreams came true and it was AWESOME, but it kind of had equal lows on the roller coaster too. Here is the Life Lessons Edition of Stuff I Learnt In 2014.

1. Love takes hard work and commitment. This year saw a tough start for Superman and I. Just after entering our fifth year together, our usually smugly blissful relationship had a really crappy patch. (As did a whole bunch of other lovely people I know. January just sucked for love all over.) I learnt that if you love someone sometimes you have to look for the bigger picture rather than the short term, because sometimes the short term is frustrating and shitty feeling, even in the awesomest relationships. It can be easy to loose the wholeness of the person and relationship you love in a shitty time, when all you can focus on is what is making it shitty. I learnt that I am long-term committed to being with Superman and to being loving and kind to him always.

2. I don’t have to be the world’s top or the ultimate ninja in something to be worthwhile. I know now that there is more to life than looking outside for validation that I am awesome. My life is fine. I could go off grid and secretly raise a bunch of llamas and that would be A OK. I don’t have to be well known in something or be top at some job or anything else to be doing life properly. Life can only really be measured by how much you are enjoying it, not by what other people think of you.

3.  Even though it doesn’t feel like it, a lot of time stress and unhappiness is a choice. I could just choose not to be bothered by the things that stress me out. The times I have done that have been awesome.

4. Famous people are just people. I met a bunch of my heroes this, year, paganically (Wendy Rule), dance wise (Rachel Brice, Zoe Jakes), and cinemalandish (Sir Ian McKellen) And they really are just people. They get drunk, say inappropriate things, struggle to know how to act and have no freaking idea what they are doing either. They are just people doing stuff. It’s just weird when you meet them because you know lots about them and they don’t know you in return yet.

5. I don’t need a certificate to prove who I am. I am a Priestess, and that is just who I am. I do not need a certificate or an approval from someone else to tell me, yes, you are allowed to be a priestess now, go forth. It’s what I do and who I am. End of.

6. Even though my life is about 70% mermaids currently, that is still not enough mermaids. I need more mermaids. My capacity for mermaids is not even halfway filled.

7.  Even the most celebrated, amazing, talented people at the top of their professions have doubts about what they are doing sometimes, and occasionally consider packing it in. The most gorgeous ballet dancer, pop star, charity CEO, they will all occasionally feel like quitting. So if you feel that way, it doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve what you are working for, or that you are not good enough to get there. Everyone feels that way sometimes, it’s OK.