The past year has been one of the most exciting, terrifying, rewarding, and simply transitional years in my life. After high school, I took a year off to start in the “real world”. I started working, met some of the best people in my life, and had incredible experiences I never would have had otherwise. One year turned into two, and here I am, living in a completely different state, with my wonderful boyfriend, and starting a new life. Although I might not have taken the traditional route into adulthood, I learned a few things that everyone can benefit from, no matter how old you are or how you got here. Here are some things I learned my first year of adulthood:

1.It’s okay if your socks don’t fit in the sock drawer

I used to get so frustrated with myself when I couldn’t get the sock drawer to close all of the way. It might seem like a minor thing, but when you are in the middle of trying 100 new things all at once and realizing you have to do everything by yourself, a minor setback as small as this can seem even worse. So remind yourself, it is okay if the drawer doesn’t close perfectly every time. It is a win to have enough socks that are clean, don’t let a little disorganization get you down.

2.Eating breakfast is the best part of the morning.

I never used to be a breakfast eater. I was the kind of person who would wake up five minutes before they were late to school and consider a large mug of coffee good enough. I used to see people who eat breakfast as mythical creatures who have their lives together. Eating breakfast, and even cooking breakfast, has become something of a ritual for my boyfriend and I, and I have to give him the credit for introducing me to the joys of breakfast. Now, waking up a little bit earlier to make breakfast is probably the best part of my day. Looking at the clock at 9 in the morning and knowing that I have already cooked and eaten breakfast gives me a sense of accomplishment, and helps motivate me to start my day. It never hurts to think of myself as someone who has their life together. Even if it is only the first hour of my day.

3.Make the bed. Every. Single. Day.

It might seem like a pain in the butt to make the bed when all you want to do is crawl back into it. It might seem pointless to make the bed when it is just going to get messed up again in a few hours. Trust me on this one. It is so much better when you don’t have to dig through blankets to find your phone, or when you actually have a decent place to lie out your clothes in the morning. If you don’t have the time to clean your whole room, making your bed gives you the illusion of tidiness. It is really satisfying to be able to climb into bed at night and not have to hunt around for the sheets in a mess of comforters and blankets.

4.Tables.

It is not cute to have all your stuff on the floor or the chair anymore. Get a night table. Even if the table is a disaster, you can still see your floor and that is close enough.

5.It is okay to be broke.

It is a million times better to be able to pay rent than to go out every night and play Big Spender with a credit card you can’t pay off. Money stress is inevitable, but learn to say no to some of the things that might be fun right now to alleviate some of the stress later. Future you will thank you for it. You are in your 20’s, everyone is broke, and your friends will understand if you can’t go out for an expensive dinner because your car payment is coming up.

6.It is okay to prioritize yourself.

It can be hard making a decision that might be best for you when it means distancing yourself from friends or family. Your 20’s are a transitional time, and you can’t expect everyone to stick around exactly as they were before. People move and people change, and it is ok to decide for yourself. If your friends are truly your friends, they will be supportive of you, even if it means they can’t see you every day anymore.

7.In life, you either win or you learn.

This is another lesson I must credit to my boyfriend. He taught me this mantra and I have adopted it. It is okay to make mistakes, especially when you are so young. In every decision you either win, or you learn. Don’t be afraid to make a mistake as long as you learn from it. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to go out to lunch every single day because now you are worried about making your cell phone payment. Yes, this was not a great decision, but getting down on yourself doesn’t bring back money. Just learn for next month to pack lunches more often.

8.Make a budget.

This one may seem obvious, but a budget was never something I saw the real value in until I had to start paying my own bills. When I first moved out, my boyfriend and I created a budget. We put all of our expenses on a spreadsheet and came out with monthly totals. This was immensely helpful when looking for a job, as I could calculate how much I would be making to ensure I could pay all of my bills and have a little left over for fun. Knowing this number of how much I would be spending per month also gave me a realistic view of how much I could spend on myself. For example, if a job pays $1,500/month and I only need $1,000/month on bills, I have an extra $500/month to spend on myself. This gives me something to look forward to, and an incentive to look for a higher paying job so I can have even more money to spend on shoes.

9.Set goals.

You have probably been told this your entire life, but it is so much easier to do things you don’t want to do if you can look at them as a means to an end. If you are working towards a goal, it not only gives you a sense of purpose, but it helps make boring or hard days easier. It is a big sense of comfort for me to know that where I am now, although wonderful, is not the end-all, be-all of life. Things will change and things will get better. It is good to have something to remind yourself of when life gets hard.

10.You are doing just fine.

This is something my dad always used to tell me when I was upset as a kid. It is something I think everyone needs to hear: you might not be perfect, you might not have all of the answers or have your life all together, but you are doing just fine. No one has their life together at 20, and although sometimes it might not feel like it, if you are doing your best, you are doing well. And you will be just fine.