The number eighteen is often associated with the word freedom, not the word wisdom. While when you turn eighteen in the United States you are a legal adult, you are also much wiser than the twelve-year-old who just can't wait to be eighteen.

I recently turned 18, and I acknowledge that I'm no the person I was ten years ago, hell, I'm not even the person I was two years ago. That being said, I've compiled a list of a few things I've learned over my eighteen years of life. With these eighteen years I've grown more than I could have imagined I would (though I am still on the short side), and I'm both scared and excited to learn and grow for the next eighteen, thirty, even seventy years of my life.

1. The present is more important than the future.

I've always been the kind of person who is too anxious about the future to be able to enjoy the present. Over time I've caught myself missing out on something, or regretting not doing something because I was too nervous about what might happen, instead of grasping an opportunity. There isn't a secret trick I've learned to help you get back to the moment, but I have learned to catch myself. I feel like I live by the idea of taking a deep breath, and remembering that if I don't have now, I don't have a future. What happens now is just as important as the future, sometimes even more so.

2. Paying attention to passion is important.

Even when I was really young, I knew I wanted to be a writer. I always imagined that one day I'd have something I wrote taught in a class. For a long time, I let that passion go. I tried to settle for other things I loved, but they weren't things I was passionate about. No matter what path I tried to choose, it didn't feel right. At the end of the day, holding onto something that makes you feel happy, fulfilled, and helps you feel like you're reaching your potential is important! Passion can fuel you if you let it, being passionate about something good is almost vital to being a human being.

3. When it comes to friends, fewer can be better than a lot.

In the day and age we live in, those who are popular are always idolized. Be it a celebrity, or someone from your school who has a higher social status. Something they often have in common is having many friends, and whether you're trying to fill a quota of people you want around, or trying to be the most popular, that's not always important. In my experience, it's a lot nicer to have a small amount of really close friends, then have a lot of friends that you don't really connect with. Two or three close friends that you understand, and understand you, can be a lot more fulfilling than being friends with people you have little in common with, other than a goal to be more social. Of course, I'm not saying having many friends is bad, but having a few close and supportive people in your life can make you feel better than a lot of people you hardly know, and hardly know you.

4. Happiness is more important than perfection.

At one point or another, most people strive for perfection of any kind. Be it for the perfect grade on a test, the perfect attitude, the perfect outfit, or even the perfect significant other, many people strive for perfection of some kind or another. The real deal is, you're perfect as you are. It's a cliche and sort of lame, but it's the truth. Being who you really are is as perfect as you can get, and even then, perfect is just an unattainable construct. If you can take a moment in your life and imagine yourself as happy rather than striving for a moment of perfection, what would you rather? Hopefully, it's happiness, because nothing in the world should taint your happiness.

5. Friends can support you more than family.

The idea that blood is thicker than water is a nice one, but it isn't always realistic. With many people, they get more support, love, and happiness from friends than family. I don't mean a grumpy teenager declaring they are no longer related to their parents, I mean it on a bigger level. Recently, my family lost my grandmother. My mother and I lived with her for a few years up until her final days, and while you may think the family would bond together and support us and one another, my mother and I both got more love and support from friends than from other family members. In my experience, my friends are often more supportive than my family, and for many friends I know, their experiences are the same. I'm not saying family is nothing, but you may find your friends have more loyalty to you than your family does, don't write them off as the most important people in your life.

6. Nothing is permanent.

It's as simple as that, nothing is permanent. Sure, this can be taken as a negative statement, but to me, it's something uplifting. A reality of life is that we all die, meaning we are not permanent. Similarly, pain is not permanent, no matter how deep, the pain you feel is not permanent. Issues, dramas, and problems in your life are not permanent. Things change, people evolve circumstances become different. Nothing negative, and sometimes even positive is permanent. The next time you feel sad, just remember that your pain is not permanent, and things do get better.

7. You're the most important person in your life.

It may feel and sound selfish, but it's not. The fact is, the most important in your life, is you. Without you, you wouldn't have a life. It seems self-explanatory, but I'm often the kind of person to put people above myself. It's a nice thing, and a good quality to want to take care of your friends, family, etc. above yourself, but at the end of the day, you have to take care of you. You can't stay up all hours to talk to someone in distress and ruin your health, and you can't spend all your money on someone or something and have nothing left for yourself. It's not selfish to look after yourself, it's crucial to surviving. While I'm not saying don't think of anyone but yourself, I've learned that you do have to remember that you're most important sometimes. No one knows what you need more than you do, look after yourself.

8. Little things are important.

Sometimes we overlook little things that happen, and we let a smile go by and never think back to that. The smallest things that make you happy, are just as important as the big ones. Buying yourself a chocolate bar at the grocery store, petting an animal, or even seeing a rainbow is just as important as things like graduating, having your dream job, getting married, or whatever you consider as a big moment that will make you happy. The small seconds in your everyday life that you smile are just as important as birthdays, and though many of us look past these small moments, try and remember them. The little things may feel insignificant, but many little things put together can make you smile later.

9. Pleasing yourself is more important than pleasing others.

Much like striving for perfection, many people strive to please one another. Be it trying to make your parents and family happy, or trying to live up to an expectation, if it doesn't make you happy, it isn't worth it. Doing something to please yourself, is much more important than doing something to please someone else. At the end of the day, like I said earlier, you're most important. Make yourself happy above anyone else.

10. The only goal you should always have is to be happy.

To me, this is sort of a golden rule. While my goals used to be good grades, college, a good job, and other stereotypical goals, now I realize that that's something unrealistic to play your life to. There's no reason your life should just be working, studying, and/or not paying attention to yourself. While you have to do things to survive, life is more than surviving. Your life should be thriving! You should always try to be happy, every day you should try and be happy. While you might not always be, the goal should always be to smile, be happy and live life to the fullest.

Over eighteen years, I've learned a lot. I've learned a lot more than the 10 things on this list, but these are things I feel are important, things I hope you can read and try and remember. I'm young, and probably a bit stupid, I'll make mistakes and mess up, but I'll learn too. I look forward to becoming wiser, smarter, and happier as I grow older.

Life isn't about perfection or pleasing others, it's about living to the fullest. People say life is short, but in reality, life is the longest things we experience as humans. So, the next time you're sad, remember it's not permanent. The next time you're overwhelmed, remember you're living right now, and that's just as important. Above all, be happy, or try your very hardest to be. Happiness is important, and it's something we all could always use a little more of. Live your life to the fullest, and you will always find that happiness.