Looking back on my life so far It's hard to believe I am already 20 years old. My childhood is over, my teenage years are over, a critical part of my life is over and now I'm transitioning into adulthood. That being said, there are a few things I wish I had realized just a little bit earlier in my life and they are...

1.) Balance is everything. Focusing only on school work is stressful and won't help you be the best that you can be. Focusing only on friends and partying also won't help you get further in life. Life is all about balancing everything. Too much of almost anything can be bad, so it's good to have a balance of everything.

2.) Rainy days should be celebrated and embraced. I used to hate rainy days, especially if I had to go somewhere that day. But there's something kind of awesome about being caught in a downpour unprepared. It is up to you to interpret every experience you have in life and being upset just because it's raining is a waste of time and life.

3.) Mistakes are just proof that you're trying. I would much rather try something completely scary and fail at it than not even giving it a shot. If you never try then you can never succeed. Stop selling yourself short and not doing something because you're afraid you can't handle it. Failures and mistakes are learning opportunities and they definitely are not the worst things in the world.

4.) Stepping out of your comfort zone is a good thing. Yes it may be scary. Yes you may be nervous as hell. But if you don't try something new just because you are nervous or afraid, you might miss out on the greatest thing that could ever happen in your life.

5.) People will come in and out of your life and that's okay. A friend you haven't heard from in 2 years wants to reconnect? Go for it. The love of you life isn't who you thought he was? Let him go. Change can be difficult and scary but it's necessary.

Thanks for reading! Just remember to always take care of yourself. Doing what's best for yourself and putting yourself first sometimes is important. You are in charge of your own life. Make today a great day!