I was motivated to write this after reading what a 90-year-old woman wrote about the most important lessons she had learned throughout life. The thing is, you don't have to be 90 and looking back at a long life to acknowledge that you have learned some valuable lessons. With that said, here are the 20 most important life lessons I've learned before turning 20.
1. Stay Humble.
I think my dad's been telling me this every day since I was born, and recently Tim McGraw made it famous again with his song. I'll be the first to admit, I do forget to keep my head on my shoulders when things all seem to be going right for me. But recently I've come to realize that no matter how much success may come, the most important thing is to keep a humble head and heart and remember where we come from.
2. The Little Things in Life Mean the Most.
I've come to learn that it's the little things in life that mean the most. These small details in life are often taken for granted, but should instead be savored. It's little things like staying up to watch the sunrise or sitting down and watching the sunset that can create some of the best memories in life. Little details like this are often overlooked, especially when life can seem to get hectic but it's good to slow down and stop to enjoy some of life's smallest and simplest pleasures.
3. Nothing is a Failure, It's Always a Lesson.
That bad test grade you got in Calc, isn't the end of the world. Instead, it should be taken as a lesson. To most people a failure is the end of the world and they don't know how to pull themselves back together after one. When you come to terms with the fact that nothing in life is a failure, but instead is a lesson, you will be much happier. That test grade, for example, can be the motivation one could need to rededicate to a course and study harder for when the next test rolls around.
4. Do Something You Love.
It's important to spend some time doing things that you love and make you happy. Pay no mind to what anyone else has to say about it. I've wanted to be a lawyer for as long as I can remember, because I am obsessed with the study of law. That is my goal and that is what I love to study, and no matter what obstacles may stand in my way, I'm going to do it. I think it's important to choose a career you love, because then for the rest of your life it'll never feel like work to you. I believe that. Just like me, you too should do something you love.
5. Take a Risk and Try Something New.
You won't regret it. I learned this one freshman year of college when I finally had to get over my fear of public speaking. I learned that no matter how great that speech is on paper, it's the presentation of it that matters. Although I didn't get every position and job I applied for this past semester, I can only continue to take risks and try new things because sometimes they can pay off substantially.
6. Karma, It's Real.
Do good and good will come to you, that's what a belief in karma is. If you go through life treating others badly, that negative energy will come back around and hit you too. So it is much better to go through life with positive energy and to help as many people as you can, because it is that positive energy that will resurface at a time when you need it most.
7. A Grade Cannot Define You.
I spent all my years in school, especially high school, believing that my 4.2 GPA was going to get me something special in life. Well, I was wrong. That grade may look great on paper, but that's about it. When it comes to real world problems, no one cares if you got a B sophomore year of high school. When it comes time to look for a real career and you have to compete with someone else who has a lower college GPA but has more real world experience, chances are that person will be chosen over you. Yes, maintaining great grades is important, I'm not saying it's okay to not give your education your all, but what I've seen to be more important is real world experience. No grade can trump experience and knowledge.
8. Not Everything Can be Forgiven, or Forgotten.
I know the saying goes, 'forgive and forget' but that isn't always the case. Some wrongs in life simply cannot be forgiven or even forgotten. Instead, the best thing to do is give it time. Time can heal, but we each have the power to choose whether or not an unspeakable deed can be forgiven. Sometimes it just can't be.
9. Determination is Key.
For everything in life, determination is key. Whether it's determination to stick to a workout or determination to finish a paper, staying committed to something is the best way to see it through.
10. Travel.
Take every chance and opportunity you get to travel and explore new places. Yeah, your hometown may be a pretty cool place, but there's an entire world out there waiting to be discovered. We do learn from experiences, and what better way to do that than to travel and enrich ourselves in the different cultures and lifestyles around us?
11. Invest in Great Friends.
I've come to see that a lot of people will walk in and out of our lives, and we get to pick and choose who we want to stay. A true friend is someone who can pick you up when you're down, someone who can give advice when things take a wrong turn, someone who you confide in, someone who confides in yo and most importantly someone who you can trust with your life. Friendship is a funny thing, and can sometimes come at the most unexpected times. It's the friends we choose that in turn say a lot about us.
12. You Really Do Learn Something New Each Day.
But that's what is amazing about life -- we continue to learn more and more new things each day. No one person can know too much, because life is a constant ride to see who comes out on top. One day when we're looking back on our lives, we'll be considered wise, because with each passing year comes new knowledge and therefore a new level of wisdom.
13. Be Yourself.
I learned this one in high school. A few years ago, I spent a lot of time worrying about what other people thought of me. Because of that, I would pretend to be someone I wasn't, just to impress someone (and it was mostly a guy). But I learned that's not what a relationship is. People in today's society need to stop trying to be clones of one another, and embrace the fact that we are all completely different. We can all just hope one day that we find the right people who are going to love and accept us for being 100 percent ourselves, and trust me, those people are out there.
14. Life isn't Always Fair.
I also learned this one in high school, but I'm glad I did. I saw firsthand the fact that being a good, honest and dedicated student means nothing compared to being popular. No matter how hard you work for something and how much you want it, things cannot always go your way, so life isn't always fair. But one important thing I've come to realize is that when one opportunity is lost, another bigger and better one will rise in its place. Now that is something to look forward to when life seems to be unfair.
15. Be Happy, Because Nothing is Worth Being Sad About.
Sometimes I wish I could take my own advice, and this is one of those times. Life is way too short to be anything but happy. We need to make the most out of each and every day we are given and not spend so much time dwelling over something sad. In the end, we don't want to look back and remember all the months we spent mourning a loss, but we instead want to look back and remember all of the happy memories we made along the way.
16. Spoil Yourself.
I think this one is an important key to life. We can spend an immense amount of time and money on someone we consider special to us, but there is no guarantee that person will remain a constant in our lives. However, the one thing we will always have is ourselves, and sometimes it's important to spend a little extra on something for ourselves so we never forget that. It doesn't have to be an all the time thing, but every once in a while, or after a huge accomplishment, it's good to remind ourselves that we deserve something nice too.
17. People Really Can Change.
I've seen it with my own eyes. That friend who swore they would never leave your side drifts away and changes for the worst. It's sad because you're left standing with all of the good memories of the past. But I think once we realize this fact that people can change, it won't come as a surprise if it is to ever happen again down the road.
18. Common Sense.
You can either be book smart or have common sense -- that is the great debate. But I think the key is to find a medium between the two. Common sense is what gets us through life. It's using good judgement to get through whatever curve life throws us. Some may say common sense is dead, especially with this new generation where a computer can do almost everything for us. But I have a more traditional mindset, and I like to trust the best in people and believe that when common sense is used to do the right thing, it can have great results.
19. Enjoy the Journey.
Life is a journey. I believe that. They always say life's a journey and to enjoy the destination, but I don't see why you can't do both. I think we should build a life for ourselves that we will love and that we're proud of. I think if we're able to enjoy whatever crazy ride life throws at us, we'll be able to enjoy the destination even more.
20. The Best is Yet to Come.
At whatever point we are in our lives now, I truly believe the best is yet to come. I may not be 20 for a few more months, but I've already learned to see that life is more like a roller coaster ride. It has its ups and downs, but either way, the best is always still in the future. We will never be able to know exactly what tomorrow holds in store for us, but I think if more people went through life knowing that the best is yet to come, there'd be a lot more happy people in the world. Maybe I'm just an eternal optimist, but I think this quote could help a lot of people through some tough times if only they'd believe the best of any situation is still out there.
