20. Be present. - The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

21 Super Random Life Lessons 21 Years Of Life Has Taught Me

As I enter my 22nd year, here is collection of lessons I have learned over the past few years.

399
21 Super Random Life Lessons 21 Years Of Life Has Taught Me
Shamin Jamadar

Life is constantly teaching us lessons. Listening to the lessons others have learned can teach us many things, shine a light on a different perspective, or even just be reasons for a good laugh. As I look back at the 21 years of my life, here are a collection of some of the most eclectic, important lessons I have learned.

1. Take a random class in the arts while you're in college (i.e. ceramics, creative writing)

Giphy

2. Keeping up with people is important.

media.giphy.com

Keeping up with people is so important. Whether its Facebook, Instagram or just mingling at a party, listen to people and store information. Not only is it endearing when people remember facts about you, but it better enables you to connect with people, skipping the awkward start-up conversations and pauses.

3. Growth is inevitable. 

Giphy

Don't try to fight it or deny it. You will grow and so will everyone and everything around you.

4. Things grow apart, but some grow back. Some do not.

media.giphy.com

Friendships are key to remember here.

5. You'll probably gain weight in your late teens/early twenties.

Giphy

And you'll look back at pictures from high school to when you deluded yourself into thinking you were "fat" when it was probably the skinniest you'll ever be. However, you'll have more confidence now than you ever did then.

6. There will be times when your friends know your next course of action before you do- and it will never ceased to freak you out.

media.giphy.com

7. You'll always have regrets- no matter how much you try to do everything.

Giphy

No matter how involved in organizations, volunteering, tailgating, hanging out with friends, going to every party, you won't be able to do it all. You'll have regrets about missing out on things, but at the end of the day we have to realize regrets will always be a part of life and there will always be something you miss out on.

8. Social media gets old

Giphy

Counting likes, posting obligatory pictures on people's birthday- all of it gets old. Just give your friend a call or text them a nice message to wish them the best.

9. A lot of important conversations and decisions will occur in your car

media.giphy.com

Many people will weirdly attest to this, but 85% of my most important decisions occurred in my car.

10. The second you try to plan something to the T, it will flop. 

Giphy

Life has a way of messing up well-thought out plans, so maybe just semi-plan.

11. You will use cleaning as a way to put off life.

Giphy

We all hated cleaning as kids, and for the most part don't love to do it now. However, I have never seen myself and my friends clean more than when we should be studying for an exam.

12. Your clothing style will change drastically. 

Giphy

It seems as we get older we get more attracted to clothing we used to run from when we were younger. But now I'm ashamed to admit how much of my closet is neutrals and basic t-shirts of various qualities.

13. Invest in some quality business casual clothing, you never know when you might need it.

media.giphy.com

Finding business clothing the weekend before your event or interview is near impossible to do on a budget. Or worse, you'll end up wearing ill-fitted business attire from senior year of high-school.

...when you were 15 pounds lighter.

14. If you haven't worn an article of clothing for over a year, you never will. Go donate it

Giphy

15. It's important to splurge every now and then (on stuff that is not food).

media.giphy.com

Whether it's a nice jacket, a nice foundation, or even nice no-shoe socks- just do it.

16. You can't predict the consequence of every action so just move forward with your best intentions. 

Giphy

17. Sometimes your friend/coworker just needs you to listen to them and acknowledge what they are going through, don't force them to listen to you and acknowledge you during this time. 

The Mistake I Made With My Grieving Friend

www.huffingtonpost.com

Read this article. It truly has changed how I interact with my friends' emotional issues.

18. Not every piece of advice given to you needs to be taken. 

Giphy

People will have a plethora of experiences and advice to share with you. However, just because an experience or method worked for someone else, it doesn't mean that it is what you need. Listen to all advice, but only take what you need.

19. Do with all your heart or not at all. 

Giphy

I can't stress this enough. Take the job, internship, experience if your entire heart is in it, don't just always do it for the resume boosting.

20. Be present.

media.giphy.com

Put down your phone when you are with your friends, turn it face down. Be present in the discussion. Hang out with your friends, listen, communicate, laugh. Your phone will be there in an hour, the messages, emails, notification will still be there.

21. Friends will always be the solution to a bad day.

Giphy

Not every piece of advice is meant to be taken, not every experience can be replicated. Even with this being true, I hope these twenty-one lessons gave you some perspective, triggered some reflection on your own life, or really just made you chuckle. I'm sure that year 22 of life will only add to the lessons life continues to teach me!

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

Yoga love

A long over due thank you note to my greatest passion.

22502
A person in a yoga pose surrounded by a supportive community of fellow yogis with a look of peace and gratitude on their face the image should convey the sense of strength mindfulness and appreciation that the writer feels towards yoga
StableDiffusion

Dearest Yoga,

You deserve a great thank you.

Keep Reading...Show less
Arts Entertainment

Epic Creation Myths: Norse Origins Unveiled

What happened in the beginning, and how the heavens were set in motion.

3124
The Norse Creation Myth

Now, I have the everlasting joy of explaining the Norse creation myth. To be honest, it can be a bit kooky, so talking about it is always fun. The entire cosmos is included in this creation myth, not just the earth but the sun and the moon as well. This will be a short retelling, a summary of the creation myth, somewhat like I did with Hermod's ride to Hel.

Keep Reading...Show less
Old school ghetto blaster sat on the floor
8tracks radio

We all scroll through the radio stations in the car every once in a while, whether its because we lost signal to our favorite one or we are just bored with the same ol' songs every day. You know when you're going through and you hear a song where you're just like "I forgot this existed!" and before you know it, you're singing every word? Yeah, me too. Like, 95% of the time. If you're like me and LOVE some good throwback music, here's a list of songs from every genre that have gotten lost in time, but never truly forgotten.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

27 Hidden Joys

Appreciation for some of life's most discredited pleasures.

34739
Best Things in Life

Life is full of many wonderful pleasures that many of us, like myself, often forget about. And it's important to recognize that even on bad days, good things still happen. Focusing on these positive aspects of our day-to-day lives can really change a person's perspective. So in thinking about the little things that make so many of us happy, I've here's a list of some of the best things that often go unrecognized and deserve more appreciation:

Keep Reading...Show less
beer on the beach

Summer is hot and humid, and it's almost like summer was made specifically to drink the refreshing, cold, crisp wonderful, delicious, nutritious nectar of the gods. Which is none other than beer; wonderful cold beer. With summer playing peek-a-boo around the corner while we finish up this semester, it's time to discuss the only important part of summer. And if you haven't already guessed, it's beer. There are few things I take more seriously than my beer, in order are: sports... and beer. Here are my favorite summer brews:

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments