20 Lessons I Learned By 20 | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

20 Lessons I Learned By 20

Be Positive, Always

52
20 Lessons I Learned By 20
Google

I have learned a lot within my 20 years of life. But in my opinion, these are the most important lessons of all.

1) Always Remember Your Friends Birthdays

People want to feel special on their birthdays. Never forget to say Happy Birthday to those important to you. They will notice your birthday wishes every year and appreciate you as their friend.

2) Call Your Parents / Guardians

No matter what kind of relationship you have with your parents or guardians, make sure to give them a call once in a while. It's hard to remember to when you are so focused on your life and becoming an adult. But, they helped you become the person you are today. Show your appreciation for them.

3) Respect Other People

Regardless of someone's race, class, sexuality, gender, etc... you should always respect them. There is no reason to dislike someone because they look different or have different beliefs than you do.

4) Don't Try To Change Another Person

Accept people for who they are. If not, walk away. You can't change someone to be a perfect fit for you. If you don't like the way they treat you in public or if they tend to tell white lies and it's affecting your relationship you have two options: leave them, or accept them.

5) Never Settle

On the other hand, if someone wants to change you, leave them. If someone tries to control you, leave them. There are too many people settling with someone who isn't good enough for them. You can always do better.

6) It's Okay To Cut Off The Negative People In Your Life

No matter how long you have known someone, whether it was your childhood best friend or your brother, sometimes you have to cut their negativity out of your life. People come into our lives to teach us things about ourselves and they are not always meant to stay. That's okay. Learn to forgive them or yourself for changing and simply let the relationship go.

7) Spend More Time Noticing Your Environments

Take a close look around you. Appreciate the trees blowing in the wind, the sun on your face and the people going about their days in front of you. Be mindful as often as you can.

8) Live In The Moment

Don't worry about things you can't control. Don't think too much about the future. Don't fret about things that have already happened. The past has already happened; let it go.

9) Honor Your Pain

Feel the existence of your sadness and anger. Try to figure out why you feel the way you do. Then, do better next time.

10) Be More Independent

Take classes alone, go hiking alone, go to concerts alone. Enjoy time spent with yourself.

11) If You Don't Feel Mentally Well, Take A Day For Yourself.

It's okay to drop your responsibilities once in a while and take some time for yourself. Spend a day being lazy, catching up on your hobbies and simply recovering your mental state.

12) Take Up A Hobby

Find something that helps you de-stress. Find something that distracts you from your adult responsibilities. Take a breather doing something you enjoy.

13) Never Compare Yourself To Others

You may catch yourself looking at the beautiful blonde girl in front of you and wishing you looked like her. Ignore these thoughts. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror and appreciate all the unique, beautiful qualities that YOU have.

14) Family > Everything

Family members are the only people who will always be there for you. They have been there since the beginning and will be there until the end. You can always count on them to support and love you when you need it the most.

15) When You Find Your Passion: Never Let It Go

Don't ever give up on your passion. Work hard every day to achieve your goals. The things you are passionate about are not random, they are calling you for a reason.

16) Tell Your Friends You Love Them Randomly

Bring your friend a coffee just because. Do the dishes for your roommate when she is stressed out. Call your old best friend and ask about how they've been. Express your love to your friends because you never know what can happen.

17) Random Acts of Kindness Are One Of The Greatest Goods You Can Do For The World

Volunteer often. Pay for the person's coffee behind you. Buy a homeless person a sandwich. Then, don't tell anyone about it. Keep the reward to yourself.

18) Be Positive, Always

The world is beautiful. If you can't see it, keep looking for the things that make you happy.

19) Learn To Love Yourself

One of the most important lessons everyone should learn is to love themselves. You can't love another human being until you take a good, long look at yourself and choose to love everything. Accept your flaws and choose to look at the good qualities you have.

20) Bettering Yourself As An Individual Is The Only Way To Change The World

The world can be a messed up place. Society can be a messed up system. If you want to change the world, the best way to start is fixing yourself as an individual. Be positive and release all the positivity into the universe. The individual self is just as important as the whole.

Whether it's learning to love yourself or being respectful to others, if you try to be the best you can be life will reward you. The older we get, the more lessons we learn and sometimes they can be hard. Just remember, it's all happening for a reason.

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

I've known you your entire life. More than likely I held you in the first three days of it and at least one of us cried. Cousins are truly one of the best things in the world and while sometimes I complain about how many people crowd Grandma's living room on Christmas Eve, I wouldn't trade you all anything.

You are my best friends, the only people who can understand what it's like on Thanksgiving, and you are the spunkiest people I have ever met. But you as so so young, most of you are just now starting your adventures in the public education system. I mean, I'm so very young too. I'm not married, I don't have children, heck, I just started my adult life, but I do want to give you what little advice I have. My dears, these are the things I want you to know.

Keep Reading...Show less
ORHS Graduation
Kristen Sack, ORHS Graduation

You are a senior in high school, you have made it to the final year that you have been looking forward to since the first day of freshman year. Whether this has been the worst or best four years of your life, appreciate it. You will never have these times back, you will never be in high school again. It is hard for someone still in high school to wrap their brain around, but there will be a day when you wish you could be in the shoes you're in right now. Here are 15 things I have learned being in college that I wish I knew as a high school senior:

Keep Reading...Show less
one tree hill
Wikimedia

Everyone, and I mean everyone has heard of the show "One Tree Hill". Many people think that this show is the best thing they've ever watched and others won't bother watching it because they know they'll get hooked. And yes, I know many people have written about this show before, but I couldn't resist. I could re-watch every season multiple times to the point where I can almost quote an entire scene. Trust me, once you start "One Tree Hill", you will be hooked. There's way too many reasons to list as to why you'll love this show, and these are just a few.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity

It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

2055
5 Ways To Bring Positivity Into Your Life When All You Want To Do Is Drown In Self-Pity
Photo by Kinga Howard on Unsplash

The first two weeks of classes have come to an end and they have been anything BUT easy. It seems like life has been serving up more bad than good and in all honesty, the only thing you want to do is crawl under your covers and hide from the rest of the world.

Although this seems like the best solution, it is also the easy way out. Take it from the girl who took basically a whole week off from her life because she just could not handle everything that was being thrown at her. This caused her to feel extremely lonely and even more stressed out for being behind in classes that JUST began.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

1. Thank you for being my person.

2. Thank you for knowing me better than I know myself sometimes.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments