As I was looking at my 2017 calendar, I thought to myself, "my brother's birthday is on the 30th. His golden birthday is next year; he's going to be 30! Wait, he's ten years older than me...I'm going to be 20!" and then I had an existential crisis.
So to celebrate 2018 and the fact that in three months I will be turning 20, I decided it would be fun to share 19 things that I have learned in 19 years.
1. Putting yourself first is not selfish
2. Make time for your family. You will someday regret wasting time arguing with them
3. Making mistakes is a part of learning. It's how you react from your mistakes that matters
4. Self-care is more important than you think. It is OK to see a therapist and take medication if that really helps you
5. With that, everything you do is valid
6. Some people are not meant to be in your life forever, but they can still play an important role in your life now. Whether that role is positive or negative, it is still important because it shapes you
7. You are the only one in control of your life. Do not let others tell you what you can and cannot do
8. You do not have to be happy all of the time
9. What you are worrying about now won't matter in five years
10. Learn to be OK with saying no. You are in charge of your mind and your body, if something makes you uncomfortable do not let someone guilt you into doing it.
11. Just because you are good for someone does not mean they are good for you.
12. Let go of the toxic people in your life. You deserve to be happy.
13. Ask for help when you need it. Whether you need help with an assignment or figuring out a personal problem, someone will know what to do.
14. You can get all the advice in the world, but nothing will change until you make it change
15. Life is too short to waste time impressing others. Do what makes you happy, wear what you want to wear, and do not worry what other people think
16. People who are the same age as you are not necessarily at the same stage in life as you are
17. Long distance friendships are amazing because when you do get to see each other, it is really special
18. Crying helps, so let it all out. You will feel better afterward
19. In the end, it doesn't matter how many likes your post got. What matters is what memories you made
Some of these things are kind of cheesy, but I think a lot of them are underrated lessons that some people brush aside.
It took me all of 19 years to learn some of these things, and I did not always get it after the first lesson. It takes time and experiences to learn things. I am sure that after another 19 years, I'll have learned a lot more things.
