As coined by the "greatest" Taylor Swift song known to man, turning 22 is more than just turning a year older than 21. 22 is a lifestyle, a feeling and a mantra for one of the best years in your early adult life. When I heard that song, I never really understood what all the #Feelin22 posts were about, but being that I am a little more than two weeks away from entering Taylor Swift song-level territory, I only saw it fitting to share 22 of the best words of wisdom and lessons that I have learned up to this point in my life. After all, a lot can change in one year--or 21.

1) If you're in high school right now, don't slack during your senior year.

Students like to use their last year in high school as an excuse to be lazy and as an explanation for any poor grades that they receive. Senior year is one of the most important ones that prospective colleges look at. It's not how you start, but rather, how you finish, that counts.

2) If you're going into college, good for you for sticking it out in school for at least another four years.

Shows just how dedicated you are to reaching your goals. And in the age of Starbucks baristas, that's a good thing.

3) Balancing school and work is a struggle. And sometimes, you're going to have to choose one over the other.

After some personal reflection and being told that I am developing carpal tunnel in my right wrist, I came to the conclusion that I just wasn't putting my own personal health and sanity first. In addition, just a few weeks prior to that, I visited my cardiologist who said that I needed to prepare for a stress test in six months because there is a slight change in the narrowing of my arteries. I have been physically and mentally spent ever since I started my new job while working full-time on my online degree program. While it's not ideal, my future career as a teacher is the main priority, and so is my own happiness. If making adjustments to my hours can relieve some of the weight off of my shoulders, then so be it. Being an adult requires making tough decisions when necessary.

4) But don't forget to leave time for yourself!

When your dad tells you that you need to get out more, you know it's serious! My family (as well as myself) know that I sometimes put my social life on the back-burner. I've also missed practicing yoga. Namaste!

5) Yet don't give away your time to those who don't deserve/appreciate it.

Only put in the same amount of effort that you are receiving. If you start to feel like you're putting in 90% of the work to keep any type of relationship going, don't think that you are just being sensitive or overreacting. Address the issue right away, and if the other person doesn't care to hear what you have to say, it's time to move on. Why waste your time being unhappy?

6) Like the Mary J. Blige song says, "No More Drama."

Do you remember the plague? Avoid it just like the plague. It just sucks all of the positive energy right out of you.

7) And DJ Khaled might want to add this to one of his "keys": communication is an important life skill.

So many problems today would be solved if people would just work up the nerve to say what they need to. Don't procrastinate and don't sugarcoat your words. Be direct and honest. I've had friends who took the cowardly way out by ghosting me. And if I hadn't spoken up to one of my friends recently, I would have added another one to the list.

8) That doesn't mean who can send the funniest texts or the most emojis to replace an actual sentence.

Text messages are meant to be a fun in-between form of communication when phone calls or face-to-face encounters are not convenient. If you find yourself discussing serious subject matter only through texts, you need to reevaluate the relationship and make changes.

9) Speaking of texts, stop obsessing over that guy and when he is going to respond back to your text.

Can't tell you how many times that I have done this. It hurts when you see that read receipt but haven't gotten any response back. And don't even get me started about seeing them on social media while you wait for said message! If he doesn't have the decency to respond back within 48 hours, he's not worth another minute of your time.

10) Guys are not as complicated (or as clever) as we think they are.

Through all of the articles that I have read, the podcasts and the YouTube videos, I can't stress this point enough. I'm not going to say that there aren't any guys who just get a kick out of coming up with elaborate games in order to mess with your feelings, but even guys have admitted that they just aren't that smart or creative to maintain that level of deception. If a guy has feelings for you, he will go out of his way to show that. And if he doesn't, he'll do as what every guy has done to me and keep you in the "who to message when I'm lonely" folder in his contacts. (Just kidding, but I can't say I'd be all that surprised if this was true. ;D ) Most of all, a guy not liking you should NOT make you feel any less than the wonderful person that you are.

11) There are good guys out there. They're just waiting for the right moment to come out of hiding.

I mentioned a certain relationship expert named Matthew Hussey in a previous article. I learn one new take-away tip from him every day. One of his recent videos on Facebook said that the reason why we only seem to notice the bad guys is because they make themselves available. A guy who has good intentions will sit back and wait until he has the confidence to make a move.

12) Even if a guy is nice to you, don't feel pressured to like that guy even if you would rather just be friends.

Don't be all that shocked, but this did happen to me recently. And despite the fact that some family encouraged me to go for it, I just wasn't into this person in that way. I was kind, direct and honest with this person about my intentions, and you know what...he was completely fine with that! As long as your treat the person with respect, this can be relatively painless. But, if you're really nervous about approaching this person, try the sandwich technique. Layer a compliment in between the bad news. For example: "I don't want to hurt your feelings, but I'd like to just remain friends. I think you're a great person and you're really sweet. I'm just not sure if I am ready for a relationship at the moment."

13) Just don't feel pressured to be in a relationship...period.

Thanks to all of my family and friends for this one. :)

14) Don't think that one nice thing negates five terrible things that someone does.

If you're doing more harm than good, you might as well have not even done that one good thing in the first place

15) It's easy to be a good person when things are going well. It is in the darkest of times that someone's true character is revealed.

16) We are all flawed human beings though. Cut people some slack every once in awhile.

17) Still make a mental note of your standards. Know when enough is enough and don't let people push you around.

Because forgiveness should not be given out like the free samples at Auntie Anne's.

18) Whenever you start to doubt your gut instinct, let that split second of self-doubt evaporate immediately.

19) Taking a personal day every so often is 100% acceptable!!

20) Have a 9-5 job that pays the bills and a 6-11 job that allows you to pursue your passions.

I never even imagined this concept until I read a Forbes article that I found on my news feed on LinkedIn. We work too much to meet the expectations of everyone else but ourselves. What can we do to make our short time here on Earth worthwhile? Don't just settle for the mundane.

21) Every step you make today is progress towards a better tomorrow.

22) Stop what you're doing and make a map of your life. Where are you now and where are you headed? Remember that happiness is the goal and every other element is just that.