When you're a little kid you have this idea in your head about how your life will be when you're a "grown up." Lets all take a moment to laugh about how I thought I would be married by 22 and be rich and fancy by 30. In reality I don't even have a boyfriend and I'll probably be in debt from college until I'm 67. However, that being said in the past two decades if nothing else, I have learned some valuable life lessons.
1. There is no possible way to please everyone.
You grow up being taught that you should try your best to make every one around you happy and want to be your friend. LOL By the time you hit your 20s, you realize this is an impossible task. No matter how nice, helpful, funny, etc. you are. I promise there will be someone there who doesn't like you. Just accept it, ignore their rudeness, continue being you and move on. It makes life easier,trust me.
2. Chase your dreams.
You're going to come across many people that will try to make you feel like what you want to do in life isn't of any true value or won't make you enough money.No one cares what they have to say anyway to be honest. Life is too short to be anything but happy so go after whatever is calling you. Those other people are just bitter they never had the balls to do so themselves.
3. Stop worrying about what other people think.
In high school it seemed the only thing that mattered was making sure you were doing everything that was popular, hanging out with the most well liked people, and being on a constant struggle to climb the social ladder. By the time you've reached your twenties, chances are those people you tried so desperately to impress in high school, are still stuck in it. You on the other hand have grown up and realized how dumb it is to waste your time trying to impress everyone else.
4. Who your true friends are.
In the past two decades I have seen many friends come and go. While it is certainly heart breaking and frustrating to see people you thought were some of your best friends drift out of your life, it has its perks. You realize who you can depend of through thick and thin and save yourself a lot of time dealing with unnecessary drama.
5. People lie.
You want to trust everyone and you want to believe that everyone has a pure heart. As cynical and sad as it may sound, that just isn't true. Not everyone has your best interests at heart and unfortunately it's just a fact you have to realize as you get older. Continue to be caring, loving and warm. Just be wary of who you decide to trust with what you tell them.
6. Take time to do whatever makes you happy.
In the midst of your college years, it seems all you ever have time to do is work and study. Find something that relaxes you, brings you joy, and puts your mind at ease. Make time in your schedule for this. It will save you a lot of stress and mental exhaustion having something to make you forget about life for awhile.
7. Life is about experiences.
Whether they be good or bad, experiences are what life is made of and it's up to you how you view them. Even something that seems horrible at the time, usually turns out for the best in the end. Just remember that some of the best experiences, make for the best stories. Some of the worst experiences make for the best lessons learned. Don't hold back from going out and living life to the fullest because you're afraid something might go wrong.
8. Change is good.
Growing up I was never much of a fan of change. Now I live for it. Life gets so boring doing the same routine day in and day out. I cannot wait for the day that I can afford to travel often and see all that the world has to offer. While change is definitely not easy, I'm learning that its worth it.
9. Live in the moment.
You're not going to be able to plan for everything. You don't even know what could happen tomorrow let alone three years down the line. Live for each day and focus on what matters in that exact moment. While it is certainly important to have long term goals, they shouldn't define how you live your life. Just learn to roll with the punches. Your life changes at least slightly everyday without you having any control over that. So don't try to have control over your life years in advance.
10. Love yourself.
No I'm not quoting Justin Bieber's over played hit of Fall 2015. I'm stating the most important thing I've learned so far. You can't expect anyone else to care about you or you to care for them if you can't even care about yourself. Learn to accept your flaws, focus on your strengths and radiate positive vibes. Who knows, maybe it will even rub off on others.
While I have certainly come to terms with a lot of things in the past two decades, I am nowhere close to knowing all of life's lessons. But does anyone ever know them all? I suppose it's all part of living, learning, and growing as a person that you get more and more wise. I'm sure by the time I hit my thirties, I'll have 20 more things to add to this list.
