College is a time where you're constantly learning new things. From learning to love yourself all the way to learning to let go of the guy who broke your heart. This is the time where you realize who you are and what you truly need. Here's what I've learned so far.
1.
Don’t let the world break you. Sometimes when you’re at the very bottom, you have to look around at your surroundings and try to find that one stepping stone to will propel you upwards and onwards to bigger, better and brighter things.
2.
Exploring new places will become a passion, whether that be just a simple drive down an unknown road at 1 a.m. on a Tuesday or getting an opportunity to travel to a different country and being able to immerse yourself with a whole new culture. It will leave you wonderstruck and your wallet empty, but sometimes you invest in things that may make you more poor, but you will be more rich in knowledge and gain a whole new perspective to something you only thought you saw one distinct way.
3.
You will hate feeling vulnerable, but the best things come out of being open to anyone and anything. Those few times where you decided to throw caution to the wind and leave your type A personality in the dust gave you some of the best memories. Being carefree and letting your guard down really gave people a glimpse to your genuine self and with that you will find people that actually appreciate you for who you really truly are and find people gravitating towards you because you’re being real and not caring what anyone thinks.
4.
Compliment people, whether it be a friend or the cashier at Target. No matter how much you deny it, people always have some part of them that cares what others think of them. Now when someone tells you something sweet it leaves you feeling a little happier and more confident, so being able to give someone that same feeling will do wonders. Compliment them on more than just the superficial things. Say things like, “You have such a beautiful outlook on life,” or even a simple, “You’re very hardworking and I respect all the energy you put into what you do.” It will plant a seed of self-assurance and you will notice the person visibly stand a little taller.
5.
Put into the universe what you would like to receive. I live by this on a daily basis, whatever energy or attitude you give off in the world will reverberate back towards you. So put out positive vibes and nothing but pure thoughts and happiness towards the world and karma will find a way to thank you. Trust me on this, it’s real.
6.
Having faith and establishing a relationship with God will fulfill a part of you that you didn’t know was missing. In the past years you’ve gone through things that made you question why God was testing you the way he did, but you proved to him and yourself that you were strong enough and were put here for a reason. You will learn more about yourself through him than ever before. Having faith in him will allow you to believe in something other than yourself. Those past years were filled with hardship because you thought you were doing it alone but once you looked up and realized the bigger picture, you saw that he was there for you and realized you’re never alone.
7.
Things will not be handed to you; you will learn what it means to be truly hardworking. You use to always wish for things to fall into your lap and work themselves out but one day it hit you that you have to put time and effort and tears and many, many countless hours of stress later to get where you really want to go. Sometimes you will work so hard and fail, but know those losses are what will fuel the motivation and make you work even harder. In then end you will prevail no matter what because you put all your energy in to what you do and your drive to do things will inspire others.
8.
The only person that can help you is yourself. Even though you may have a good support system in your life like God, friends and family, at the end of the day you are left with yourself. Some days you will be down, but no one can change your mood, that is completely up to you. You will learn how to pick yourself up and not wallow in self pity. Allow yourself 10 minutes of sadness or frustration or whatever emotion you’re feeling then move on. Dwelling on things won't do you or anyone else any good.
9.
Establish a loving relationship with your body and self. Struggling with self-confidence and learning to love yourself for what you look like and who you are will be hard, but the day you do, everything changes. You have to stop looking at the mirror and looking at the things you want to change and start looking at things you were blessed with. Be grateful that you have a body that has the privilege of nourishment and living and being the exterior to such a beautiful soul that takes refuge inside. Loving yourself and deciding your body is worth loving will be the weight lifted off your shoulders.
10.
Don’t take any moment for granted. As corny as this sounds, one can’t take any moment for granted because time flies so incredibly fast. In those moment that you’re filled with happiness take a minute to look around and appreciate the situation your in. In a matter of minutes, things can change. One fun sunny day at the beach can quickly turn into someone stepping on a broken bottle on the sand, creating a whole new moment in time. Always be appreciative of those moment filled with pure, unadulterated joy and warmth, because those are the moment you look back and wish you can relive over and over.
11.
Don’t settle for less then you deserve. You will go through a time where you let yourself be walked over because you were surrounded with people your whole life who took advantage of your kindness. The day you surrounded yourself with genuine people who treated you the way you deserved, you never settled for anything less because you realized how much you truly were worth. You will have a new found outlook on meeting new people, romantically or platonically you will become more self aware and start surrounding yourself with great people who truly love you.
12.
Find joy in simple things. Always find the good in things no matter how small or large. It can be as simple as finding a five-dollar bill on the sidewalk. Or getting that promotion at work you worked so hard for. Just don’t always overlook the simple things because it’s always the little things that add up to the most.
13.
Invest in yourself. Going out to buy new clothes that make you feel confident, investing in quality skincare, treating yourself to that Starbucks iced coffee can really add up and make you feel good not only on the inside but also the out. Never forget to treat yourself. Sometimes you need to put yourself first.
14.
Don’t focus on that boy who broke your heart. If you think about it in retrospect, you have so much time in life to find someone else to build a new bond with who will most likely be even better then the guy before. One heartbreak will hurt but that one heartbreak will have taught you so many different things that will make you grow as a person. All seriousness aside, don’t forget your ladies. Fries before guys.
15.
Rock going makeup-free some days. Ultimatelyyour skin will thank you for this one, but some days you just have to own your self confidence acne and all. Just hold your head high, people will look at you but not for the reason you’re thinking, they will be wondering who this queen is with a fresh face walking with confidence. Also you don’t have to waste time getting ready and can just get up and go.
16.
Learn to let go. You will realize somethings are out of your control and you can’t please everyone. As much as you like to make sure everyone’s happy you will let go and let things flow the way they’re supposed too. Don’t dwell, just keep moving forward and don’t look back. Letting go of old relationships and things holding you back from going forward need to be left in the past.
17.
You have grown up. Not only because you’re 18 and technically are a legal adult now, but the way you carry yourself and the way you view life are one of an old soul. You pay for your own things and realize the stress of having a full time job and learned a bunch of little things that developed you to who you are today. But I can say that you have matured and grown into someone who my younger self would be proud of.
