As a generation, we grow up wanting to be older. We want to be big enough to walk like mom and dad. Then, we want to ride a bike like the neighbor kids. We move from bikes to cars, and boys with cooties to boyfriends. We then move to wanting to be 21 and making our own rules.

At 19, I continue to strive to be 21, 28, 35, 40. I dream about being over the age of black X’s on my hands, out of college, having a family, and having my life (as much as possible) put together. I also have to appreciate everything that I have learned along the way, but also the things that I didn’t realize I had learned along the way.

Unfortunately, some of these lessons I would not realize how important they were until after it was too late. So without further ado, here are nineteen things that I wish I would have truly understood before I am where I am now.

1. Just because you’re 18, does not make you a full-blown, mature adult.

2. You will lose friends that you thought would be in your life forever.

3. Sometimes, losing those friends isn’t a bad thing.

4. College is almost always a continuous struggle.

5. Boys are not worth losing yourself over.

6. As a matter of fact, nothing is worth losing yourself over.

7. Love is never easy.

8. Things may get worse before they get better.

9. Struggles make you come out stronger in the end.

10. You have to experience the lows to be able to know when you're high.

11. High school won’t mean anything once you’re in college.

12. High school also does not prepare you for college.

13. Living on your own is not as fun as it sounds.

14. You’re allowed to miss home.

15. Your parents were right… About most things.

16. The people who choose to stay through the hard times are the people you need to keep in your life.

17. It’s okay to not be okay.

18. Enjoy every minute you have with your loved ones, because you never know when that day could be their last.

19. Dreams can change, but never completely stop dreaming.

Although it would have been nice to realize all of these things before I turned 19, I would not be where I am today without having to understand these ideas on my own. As Samuel Smiles eloquently states: “The battle of life, in most cases, is fought uphill; and to win it without struggle is to win without honor. If there were no difficulties, there would be no successes; if there were nothing to struggle for, there would be nothing to achieve.”

Even though it may have been an uphill battle to get here, I can definitely say that I have succeeded and achieved.