21 Life Lessons To Know Before You're 21 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

21 Life Lessons To Know Before You're 21

Welcome to adulthood.

48
21 Life Lessons To Know Before You're 21
Thought Catalog

Some people anxiously wait for the day they are able to blow out their twenty-one birthday candles, while some people absolutely dread it. It’s understandable! Turning twenty-one opens up a part of your life that you never even knew existed. After you become an adult, you realize that you have a huge package of responsibilities, freedoms, and inexplicable independence. It’s the first year that people around you start to view you in a different light; you aren’t that teenager or child that you used to be for your entire life. It’s the first year that you might be hit in the face with the reality that you are an independent being, and that you need to learn how to live this complicated, mountainous thing called life. Life is hard, but hopefully these 21 life lessons will help you through it.

1. Learn to understand that life is unfair sometimes.

2. Be nice to everyone you meet. You never know if you'll see them again in the future.

3, Get out of your normal comfort zone once and a while. You can learn a lot about yourself this way.

4. It's inevitable that we all make mistakes. Try to learn from them.

5. Cut off all the toxic people in your life; they’re not worth your time or effort, nor do they deserve it.

6. Keep your loved ones close by making the effort.

7. Call your parents.

8. No matter where you are or what you’re doing in life, people will always try to bring you down. Don’t let their opinions seep into your judgment.

9. Instead of bringing yourself down with your insecurities, learn to love them or how to improve them so they don't hinder you from living to the fullest.

10. Take risks/chances. You never know what could have been if you didn't.

11. You won't make friends if you don't try to make them.

12. Learn to properly prioritize your time for what's important, and understand that everyone's priorities are different.

13. Only do participate in activities because YOU want to do them. Life is too short to waste time on things that you don't truly want to be doing.

14. When you create goals for yourself, don't let anything get in the way of achieving them.

15. Don’t forget that quality is better than quantity, both in people and in time.

16. Don't be attached to your phone. Enjoy the moment; you might never get that moment again.

17. Don't compare yourself to others. All you can do is be the best you can be and that's what you can offer.

18. Spend your time from now on trying to find your true passions, if you haven't found them already.

19. Learn to listen instead of talk.

20. Learn to appreciate the roadblocks in life; they will only make you become a stronger person.

21. Last but not least, be YOURSELF. No one else is you and you aren't anyone else. Embrace it!


Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Christmas Tree
History.com

Now that Halloween is over, it's time to focus on the Holiday Season. Don't get me wrong, I think Thanksgiving is great and can't wait for it, but nothing gives me greater joy than watching Freeform's 25 Days of Christmas, lighting peppermint scented candles, decking the halls, and baking gingerbread cookies. So while we approach the greatest time of the year, let's watch the 15 best Christmas movies of all time.

Keep Reading...Show less
6 Signs You Are An English Major

There are various stereotypes about college students, most of which revolve around the concept of your major. Unfortunately, we often let stereotypes precede our own judgments, and we take what information is immediately available to us rather than forming our own opinions after considerable reflection. If I got a dollar for every time my friends have made a joke about my major I could pay my tuition. One stereotype on campus is the sensitive, overly critical and rigid English major. Here are six telltale signs you are one of them.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

27 Things 'The Office' Has Taught Us

"The Office" is a mockumentary based on everyday office life featuring love triangles, silly pranks and everything in between. It can get pretty crazy for just an average day at the office.

2708
the office
http://www.ssninsider.com/

When you were little, your parents probably told you television makes your brain rot so you wouldn't watch it for twelve straight hours. However, I feel we can learn some pretty valuable stuff from television shows. "The Office," while a comedy, has some pretty teachable moments thrown in there. You may not know how to react in a situation where a co-worker does something crazy (like put your office supplies in jello) but thanks to "The Office," now you'll have an idea how to behave ifsomething like that should happen.

Here are just a few of the things that religious Office watchers can expect to learn.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Signs You’re A Pre-Med Student

Ah, pre-med: home of the dead at heart.

1650
Grey's Anatomy
TV Guide

Being pre-med is quite a journey. It’s not easy juggling school work, extracurricular activities, volunteering, shadowing, research, and MCAT prep all at the same time. Ever heard of “pain is temporary, but GPA is forever?” Pre-meds don’t just embody that motto; we live and breathe it. Here are 10 symptoms you’re down with the pre-med student syndrome.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

High School And College Sucked All Of The Fun Out Of Reading

Books were always about understanding for me, about learning the way someone else sees, about connection.

1221
High School And College Sucked All Of The Fun Out Of Reading

I keep making this joke whenever the idea of books is brought up: "God, I wish I knew how to read." It runs parallel to another stupid phrase, as I watch my friends struggle through their calculus classes late at night in our floor lounge: "I hope this is the year that I learn to count." They're both truly idiotic expressions, but, when I consider the former, I sometimes wonder if there's some truth to it.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments