1. The messy, "I don't care but I put effort into myself," bun.
2. A five-minute makeup routine.
3. How to interview.
4. How to not sleep through your alarms.
I am still working on this, but at least I have 3 more months.
5. A night remembered is more enjoyable (more often than not).
6. A few real friends are better than many shallow ones.
7. When to take the bus, and when to take an Uber/Lyft.
8. How to pick a phone based on your needs, rather than on trends.
9. Self-care. We often spend more time worrying about other, instead of ourselves. Take a few minutes every day to "treat yo'self."
10. Just because someone says you have to join a club/major, doesn't mean you have to.
(However, if you are able to vote you should, I just liked the message)
11. Understanding that you don't have to have everything figured out.
I just recently met a high successful urologic surgeon who didn't go to med school until the age of 34. Now she is doing highly important research on the sterility (or not) of the blood.
12. Looking at yourself in the mirror, and recognizing (or beginning to recognize) your worth.
This is a skill that takes a lifetime to master, but hopefully, we're on our way by this landmark birthday.
13. Politics don't have to consume your life unless you want them to.
14. Do something for others, even though they might not do it for you.
We are all so self-consumed, and we often only do good if we think people will think better of us. But often some element of helping others helps ourselves in a positive mental health kind of way.
15. Make your bed, it makes it a lot nicer to go to bed at the end of the day, but it also helps to start the day off positively.
16. Having an email signature is your best friend.
17. That the phrase "I'll sleep when I'm dead" or other such variations are lies.
Without sleep, our cognitive function declines, causing our attention span to decrease and decreasing our ability to recall long-term memories. While I know from personal experience that 8 hours a night is not always possible, work to get at least 6, as that includes roughly 4 full REM cycles. Also as we get less and less sleep, we eat less, or worse, and our body begins to stress itself, as it does not have sufficient time to recharge and rebuild.
18. Bring a change of shoes if you're wearing heels.
Not only will this make driving a lot safer, and a lot more comfortable, but you will be able to look bomb AF, without the lower back and leg/foot pain that comes with 12 hour days in heels.
(Not all of us can be Patrick)
19. Relying on your parents, without depending on them.
20. Lunch dates and coffee dates are a great, productive way to spend time with friends without feeling as though you lost valuable "working hours."
21. Being unapologetically yourself in all things.
We may be turning/ have turned 21, but we still don't know (and shouldn't know) everything. Life is a continual learning process, embrace the discomfort and the unknown, and always remember to be yourself.