According to Diana (name changed, actual name known to DELFI), who is 21 years old, this year she has understood many things that are important to her as a person. Some of them have even inspired her to aim for new goals.

"To be honest, I don’t really think about it too often, but when I had to look for an answer to this question, I realised that 2023 was a very special year for me on all accounts. Overcoming challenges, I have learned and understood a lot about my environment and myself. When engaging in favourite activities, I have experienced a lot of happiness and gained even more self-confidence. Overall, I think that I have learned to value my time and understood what things and why were worth it," she shared.

Diana added that these were very valuable lessons.

"There have been difficult moments, too, but – this may sound banal – I’m happy about the entirety of my experiences this year, both joyful and sad. I’ve had moments when no matter what I did everything seemed to just fall apart, but I think I have taken everything into consideration and understood just how much strength this gave me. This is also one of the things I could indicate as this year’s big gift to me," she said.

Diana defined her biggest wishes and goals for 2023 at the end of 2022. She admitted that this was a new thing for her.

"I hadn’t done this before and thought that I was one of those people who just didn’t like certain constraints, e.g. a commitment to accomplish something in a month or a year. However, I decided to give it a go last year and started writing down my biggest goals for 2023. Now, looking back at those goals, I want only to smile and celebrate that some of the small dreams have come true, and certain things today are less meaningful than a year before. This is an indicator that I’m changing and growing as a person," Diana said.

According to her, the dreams for the next year have already been identified.

"I have big goals and dreams, and the voice inside keeps encouraging me not only to dream, but to act as well. I hope that in 2024 I will not lose my inner desire and bravery to pursue them," she continued.

By the way, Diana’s wishes are not just about her.

"Naturally, I want my family and loved ones to be happy. This is as important as my own well-being that I create myself. Sure, I think that it is vital to not just think, but also do something about it, so next year I will try to give more attention and affection to my family and find more time for pleasant moments together," she said.

Karina (name changed, actual name known to DELFI) has also shared her 2023 experiences. According to her, this year was full of challenges, insight, and unusual environments.

"In 2023, I wished myself travels and new impressions. Those came in spades," she said.

Wishes came true, but not without difficult challenges.

"In summer, I went to America via the <em>Work&Travel</em> programme. There were many challenges: cultural shock, longing for home, but time flies, so I returned to Lithuania and brought back only very good memories," Karina continued.

This year has also made her think about other things.

"For me, this year was a very turbulent one. New wars made me realize that I already have the most precious of things: freedom, healthy loved ones, food, and a roof over my head. I cherish that a lot," she claimed.

When it comes to 2024, Karina is planning to dedicate the year to professional improvement and the achievement of other equally important goals, for example, obtaining a driver’s licence.

"I think it’s about time, but, generally speaking, I’m not really planning any major changes, except reminding myself that I’m only 21 and that I should enjoy life to the fullest. Also, I want to spend less time using my phone and read more books," she shared.

Greta (name changed, actual name known to DELFI), too, had an exciting year. According to her, 2023 was a year of big and meaningful changes. Greta agreed to tell DELFI more about them.

"A lot has changed – a new job, activities, opportunities, and experiences. I have been very busy this year as well. Actually, the activities turned into a lot of daily challenges: I had to set my priorities, learn to plan time, and understand the importance of making some time for myself and meeting with friends and relatives," she said.

Greta added that even though self-realisation was important, she was forced to understand that going all-out without adequate rest and communication with others not only decreases productivity, but may also contribute to other serious problems.

"One day you may reach a dangerous point when you will want to just quit everything, so the most important takeaway of the year – resting is vital," she added.

The conclusions and lessons learned make up the bulk of her next year’s goals.

"The main plan is to discover activities that will allow relaxing and enjoying free-time because that is very important. I’m already off to a good start and my goal is to continue in the same vein and, obviously, try to spend more time with others," Greta shared.

Every year brings something new, but, according to Greta, indicating just one thing that brought the most joy would be difficult.

"This year was full of wonderful experiences. I guess, the journeys were the most memorable. For the first time ever I travelled absolutely alone and had to organise everything myself, but that was the most wonderful case of getting out of my comfort zone," she noted.

Greta also mentioned another dream that came true.

"I finally managed to go on a mountain trip (last year I couldn’t make it). I realized that mountains, with their serenity, was a place that gave me a very positive attitude. Every day was so great that I didn’t want it to end, and the view of the mountains in the morning was simply marvellous," Greta recalled.

Even though this year there have been plenty of joyful moments in Greta’s life, emotional shocks, too, were present.

"There have been moments when it felt like I had too many stuff to do and too little time and energy. I wanted to quit everything, but usually it is the hardest moments that teach you the most and allow learning more about yourself. I understood that I could not just stop in the middle of things, could not quit because I would surely regret it afterwards, so I had to get my act together," she told DELFI.

Greta admitted expecting the next year to be a calmer one, but also full of new discoveries.

"One of my New Year’s resolutions is to improve the management of my finances and, at least during the summer, go on vacation to recharge my batteries and get new experiences," she hoped.

Let 2024 be special in all things that matter and that the list of major goals contain not only professional achievements, but also other things that affect your well-being and emotional state because good physical and mental health is the greatest and most important type of wealth.