I did a quick recap of what 2024 was like for me on my WhatsApp some days ago, and I laughed. I could laugh because despite all that happened, my smile is still as beautiful as ever, and I still do my little crazy dance indoors. Really cute to see. ![WhatsApp Image 2024-12-05 at 14.54.00.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/storygoddess/23vhuHTvF3ffMFrjwUMEqNSogoToDyAQ9KdtYeuUTUKbu1jPDXQzQmC6zmj2fEZdSvK93.jpeg) **My year in summary went like this;** January, I got rejected from an opportunity that I put all my life into, and that one rejection sent me into depression. I am not a person that do not take no for an answer, but I was fully invested and even though there was no certainty, I had hoped that I would at least make it to the second stage which never happened. This little rejection made me doubt everything I know about myself. I doubted my intelligence, smartness, and skills. It was a crazy one. But somehow, I recovered, and I picked myself up again, but I didn’t send out any other application for a long time because I was scared. However, in the process, I retrained myself, improved myself, and then went on to send more. **Quick lesson:** *sometimes, we get accepted, most times, we rejected. The most important part of the process is to not reject yourself because you got a no for an answer.* March came with so much excitement and I wanted to just dive right into picking up from where I stopped, but then I received a destabilizing call. My criminal neighbours had implicated me in my absence, and I had to return home from a journey earlier than I planned. It was destabilizing, but I was able to think up what to do, and that was to call my uncle. He is very protective of me, so I was certain that all I needed was a call through to him, and everything would be calm till I returned, and that was what happened. **Quick lesson:** *The one person who knows you best, knows what you can and can’t do is family. You should love them, care for them, respect them, and treat them well. Family they say, is everything, especially one where love lives.* In June, I got a knock on my door. It was the caretaker of the apartment I rented. He came to hand me a quit notice. I collected it, locked the door and continued my work until evening when I was free enough to open it. Then, I saw that the notice was backdated. Normally, I would have six months extra to find an apartment before I could leave, but the letter was backdated to January. It wasn’t funny actually. But, because I was already house hunting, I didn’t see much to it. Instead, I intensified my house hunt so that I would leave before the said date. One more thing is, the criminal neighbours that I had were not sent out of the house because they could afford an expensive life and money to settle the police and everyone. So, I was simply the intruder. ![WhatsApp Image 2024-12-05 at 14.57.28.jpeg](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/storygoddess/Eo8M4eK6v3d95PQkLBQKnpPU6cKw25JXqUK4CuXzKQVaQCqSYqEwmd9bfVjHPcFBmFB.jpeg) **Quick lesson:** *Don’t be caught slacking especially in a place you know you are not really loved. And, you actually are not the problem most of the time, they are just the ones that prefer a bad ways of life, and people, and it’s not your responsibility to try to fix anything or anyone.* Amidst all that happened, I got certified as a data analyst two days ago, and it’s been the highlight of my year so far. I almost quit in between, but there’s a mantra I use, and that is “I am Monsuroh, and I’m not a quitter”. Oh, well, I did that. **Quick lesson:** *Despite all the challenges, I am standing strong, looking to try again in 2025. The year may have been tough for you too, but the point is that you didn’t give up trying.* In 2024, I forgot to fall in love, but I gladly celebrated the love of my friends. We go again next year. This is my entry to InLeo prompt for the month of December. Images are mine. Posted Using [InLeo Alpha](https://inleo.io/@storygoddess/its-okay-to-start-over-lessons-of-2024--2vb)