"A Year in Review"

This weekend a year ago, I embarked on a journey that was scary and exciting. I moved into my apartment and started the process to live completely independently. Over the last year, I have learned so much about myself and the world around me and I am so thankful for where I am today and for the people that helped me get there.

My biggest takeaways from this last year:

1. The best things in life take patience to find and hard work to get. It took me almost a year to find a job but I found a job where I feel more accepted than I have ever felt before. 

2. Not every person is going to be kind and accepting of your differences but that's okay because with education you may be able to change this person's outlook on people who are different. I learned this lesson as I was looking for a job and it was not an easy lesson to learn but this is why I started my blog.

3. Family and friends are and should be the most important people in your life. My family and friends have been so supportive over the course of this last year. I am forever grateful for my family in Raleigh who made this strange city feel like home right away.

4. It's important to face your fears head on because it is the only way to learn and grow. When I started working I was so worried about answering the phone because of my speech impairment. Now, I actually enjoy answering the phone and my coworkers will tell you that sometimes they can't grab it before I pick it up.

5 I have discovered that confidence is an important ingredient to success. When you believe in yourself and what you can do others will begin to believe in you too. I have to say that my confidence got knocked down throughout the job search process but I would still try to walk into each interview with a confident demeanor.

This has been a tough year but also a great year of self-discovery! I know I will be able to use my experiences from the last year to help people with disabilities who are embarking on the same journey of independent living that I did.

Written by Sydney Breslow 

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