Baha'i, 2016. Ha'i, 2017.

Visiting the Baha'i Temple in Wilmette, Illinois was the first time I came across the Baha'i faith, a religion that originated in Iran in the 19th century. From afar, the temple stands tall and proud as the first and only house of worship of the Baha'is in North America.

The religion is all about unity, and you can see how the temple's French-Canadian architect, Louis Bourgeois, translated the religion's beliefs in the serene and intricately-patterned design of the temple grounds. He explained, "There are combinations of mathematical lines, symbolizing those of the universe, and in their intricate merging of circle into circle, and circle within circle, we visualize the merging of all religions into one." See, the Baha'is believe there is beauty in the unity of diversity thus making the temple doors open for everyone to come and worship.

The timing of our visit could not have been more perfect because I learned that the religion focuses on the inseparability of personal growth and our own service to humanity- a perfect theme for reflecting upon the year that has passed and preparing ahead for the year that is coming. Now, you won't need those Thought Catalog articles to remind you how 2017 should be your 'selfish year' because the Baha'i faith reminds us how attending to oneself is crucial and as important to the common purpose of being able to contribute to humanity.

The struggle is grounded on the fact that messing up in one aspect greatly affects the other, and vice versa. 2016 has been both kind and brutal in many instances and I feel like life has given us a generous amount of lemons over the year. Perhaps everything that has been going on in the world is a reflection of how messy we've become as individuals, bringing me back to the importance of attending to our own personal growth. But it's all a matter of perspective and as what Rocky said, "It's not about how hard you hit, but how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward." I'm pretty sure 2017 has punches up its sleeve, but the beauty lies in the fact that we can all make lemonade. So let's raise our glass and say, "Bring it on, lemons. Here's to 2017!"

For more information, read about the Baha'is here.

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