Between school and parents and friends and books and movies, the world gives us a lot of opportunities to learn. So it stands to reason that some stuff slips through the cracks. Some really important things don't get brought up enough, or even worse they don't get brought up at all. There are some important life lessons that you don't get until it's too late, or rather, until it feels like it's too late. These are ten of the things that I wish I had learned a little sooner.

1. Your life doesn’t have to follow a specific timetable: People are going to tell you when you need to start college, when you should graduate by, when you should have figured out what you’re going to be when you grow up. They’re going to give you strong opinions on when you should have bought a house by, when you should get married, when you should start having kids with your significant other. And it’s all, well, it’s a load of garbage to be honest. If you don’t start college at eighteen, fall in love with “the one” by twenty-four and move into a three bedroom house by twenty-seven, the world isn’t going to collapse in on itself. People always have these specific years that they want their lives to go by but the world doesn’t really work that way. That’s totally okay. That is totally and completely okay. You’re not on the clock. You don’t need to figure out a specific timetable and turn your life into a spreadsheet. Things will happen when they’re meant to happen, which might sound cheesy, but it’s a good thing to remind yourself when you think you’re running out of time to do thigns.
2. You can’t overuse “I love you”: I don’t care what people say. You can’t overuse I love you. Telling your friends, your family, your significant other five times a day every day doesn’t cheapen the phrase. There’s going to be people who tell you it does and I’m telling you don’t listen to them. Reminding people that they are loved in a world that seems to be tilting the wrong way on its axis as of late, can be one of the most important things you do in a day. What could be better than putting a little more positivity out there in the world? There’s no more direct way to spread love than to tell people that you love them. You can’t overuse “I love you.” So tell your parents, your siblings, your best friends. Chances are, they’ll really appreciate the reminder.
3. You’re not lame for liking things that are popular: We live in a world that will mock you for just about anything, from the flavor in your coffee and the snapchat filters you use, to the way you dress and what music you listen to. If it’s mainstream, suddenly it becomes lame. But so what? There’s a reason that things become popular. And if people around you are making fun of you because you listen to Taylor Swift while drinking your Starbucks, that’s their problem not yours. Don’t miss out on enjoying fun, popular, “mainstream” things because there’s people out there who get more enjoyment out of mocking things than actually just taking a second to enjoy them. Being around people who do nothing but hate on things for the sake of hating on them are exhausting. It might seem funny or cool at first, but it gets old real fast when it feels like you can’t just freely like something that brings you joy. It gets draining trying to pretend you don’t like things that are popular, because a lot of times things that are popular got that way because they’re fun. So go, have fun, appreciate pumpkin spice and dog filters on snapchat. It’s not a crime to enjoy yourself.
4. Sometimes a four-year degree takes more than four years: And there’s nothing wrong with that. College is a chaotic, overwhelming time and there’s a lot going on whether you’re inside or outside a lecture hall. You’ve got school, clubs, sports, internships, organizations, and all of that is happening at the same time while you’re trying to maintain a relatively normal social life, which includes friends and of course your family. Plus, you want to have time to eat and sleep and shower, and maintain your mental and physical health. That’s a lot, right? And we’re all only human and sometimes that means we can’t do everything all at once. If that means you need to take more than four years to get your degree
5. You’re going to sad sometimes and that’s okay: Actually, it’s better than okay. It’s good! You don’t want to be sad all of the time, of course. But if you never allow yourself to be sad you’re going to go crazy. Keeping all of those emotions inside all the time isn’t good for you. People are going to tell you not to be sad and they mean well, but a lifetime of being told not to be sad doesn’t mean that you can’t be sad. It just means that they don’t want you to stay that way. There’s going to be days, maybe even weeks where it feels like nothing is going right, but those times will pass and things will get better, and the happiness is going to feel a lot better after the sadness. I promise.
6. Running yourself into the ground isn’t any way to live: Trying to be in a million different places at once is going to leave you spread so thin that when you’re in one place you’re not really there. Living on caffeine leaves you sleep-deprived and shaky, plus it’ll give you headaches when you try and wean yourself off of it and that’s worse than a hangover sometimes, trust me. Going night after night without sleep trying to finish a million projects when the world only gives us twenty-four hours in a day is a sure-fire way to drive yourself crazy. People always talk about hustling, about how when you’re young it’s your time to grind hard so you can relax when you’re older. And that’s true within reason. But to miss out on the entirety of what your late teens and through your twenties should be because you’ve subjected yourself to being a zombie isn’t good. Love yourself a little. For every forty-eight hours you go without sleep take a few hours to nap, drink some water, take a shower. Taking a day or two for yourself isn’t going to make the world fall apart. Don’t forget to live your life in the present while you’re trying to make a future for yourself.
7. Being single does not equate to not being loved: You’ll hear this sometimes, but there is always a sort of overtone that the end-goal in life is to end up happily married, probably with a couple of kids running around. And when you grow up in a world surrounded by that message, it’s hard to remember that being single isn’t a bad thing—it doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with you. You’re loved by family and friends and there is a world of people out there who are waiting to get to know you. The world is a place that’s filled with all sorts of love, and you’re filled with all sorts of it too. That doesn’t change because you’re not in a romantic relationship with someone.
8. An explanation is not the same as a justification: Understanding why someone does the things they do is important. It teaches you compassion and sympathy. Which are all important things. But what is also important is to know that just because someone has a reason for doing the things that they do, doesn’t mean that they are excused from the negative consequences of their actions. This also applies to yourself. Sometimes you really do need to check yourself, because sometimes your reasons aren’t good enough. Sometimes your excuses aren’t justifications. We all make mistakes, and we all do hurtful things to ourselves and other people. It’s just a part of life. But trying to pile up excuses to explain why you did what you did isn’t going to solve the problem. Some things are past justification. Sometimes the best thing someone can do is apologize. This also includes you. You’re human and that means you’re going to make mistakes that can’t be explained away, which means you have to apologize. Explaining is not the same as justifying. Don’t let someone try and guilt you with their explanations and excuses when they don’t have a good justification, and what you need and deserve is an apology.
9. “Money won’t make you happy” is not the same as “financial stability is overrated”: You hear it a lot growing up, that money won’t make you happy. When you’re a kid you dream about having a million dollars, and grownups will laugh and tell you that that’s great, but remember that money won’t make you happy. Then you grow up. Firstly, you realize that a million dollars definitely isn’t as much as you used to think it was. But also, you realize that regardless of that it would be really great to have. You go into college for a degree that will help you get a job in a high-paying field and people never cease to remind you that money isn’t going to make you happy when the day is out. And to a point, they’re right. But when you’re looking at your tuition bills, calculating student loans on top of rent and car payments and gas money and food, you can’t help but to think that maybe a little extra cash being sent your way would be really helpful and might actually make you a little happier because you wouldn’t be worried about getting kicked out of your apartment. Money matters. People will tell you it doesn’t but to a certain extent it does. Money keeps your furnace running and food in your fridge. But if you can afford all the necessities, and at the end of the day have a little left over to rent a movie or treat yourself to a little extra dessert, you’re doing alright and you’ll be happy. Financial stability is important. Being consumed by the desire for excessive wealth is not.
10. You’re allowed to change: Whether it’s your style, your hair, your opinions—you’re allowed to change. When you change your mind on things people will tell you that you’re a flake, that you can’t stick to your guns. Don’t listen to them. If you hear something that strikes a chord with you and makes you reevaluate your stance on something, there’s nothing wrong with that. It means you’re teachable and capable of change which are two really good things to be. Being stubborn and stuck in your ways closes you off to so many things. So go ahead. Cut your hair, dye your hair. Donate your clothes and start fresh with a new wardrobe. Listen to people from all walks of life and hear what they thing and why they think it. Let the world give you all kinds of opportunities to grow and change, and then take advantage of those opportunities.

I'm sure you'll learn some other things, too. Things that you can pass onto the next person so they can be a little more ahead of the curve than you were. That's what life is all about, really. Learning things you wish you'd learned sooner and then teach them to someone so they do know sooner. So keep these things somewhere in that big, beautiful mind, and then keep learning.