There are many things that we can only learn by experiencing life - we unfortunately cannot be taught these things in a classroom. Life can be challenging, but I am thankful to be learning new tactics to get through it every day. It was not easy to learn these tactics; some of them took me years to finally understand. However, I feel so much stronger and wiser from my experience.

1. Don’t sweat over the little things

So you were breaking in your new heels and you tripped in front of a group of people.... So what? Life is too short to be spending time cringing. Laugh it off and move on; there are worse things than embarrassing yourself, I promise.

2. There’s no need to obsess over calories

Like I said, life is short. If you want to eat that cookie, eat that cookie. If you want to make pancakes for dinner, have pancakes for dinner. There is more to life than obsessing over gaining a pound.

3. But also be sure to eat healthy (most of the time)

It is important to take care of your body when you are young so you have less problems when you get older. I noticed a huge difference in my mood and energy when I stopped eating so much fast food and started eating fresh, healthy meals. Please be sure to treat yourself every now and then, but your body will thank you for taking care of it.

4. Popularity is only a big deal in high school

As exciting as it seems to date the quarterback of your high school football team or be crowned prom queen, all of that excitement immediately goes away after high school. There are people that I did not associate with because I was afraid of being judged because they were “uncool,” and now I completely regret it. Rather than having the chance of making lifetime friendships, I chose to associate with people that I never talked to after high school simply for popularity. (Not to mention that the majority of the so called popular people are going nowhere in life and have nothing to brag about except for the fact that they were popular in high school.)

5. You can’t please everyone

It is an awful feeling knowing that someone hates you, but unfortunately that is just the way life works. I tried to please everyone countless times and I always ended up exhausted and hated by more people. It is important to be yourself and not worry about what others think. Those who like you for you are the only people worth keeping in your life.

6. Your mom is your best friend

I know that when you are growing up, your mom can be annoying and there are times where you get angry with her. But just know that she may be overprotective at times because she loves you. She will always be your shoulder to cry on when a boy breaks your heart or when you get in a fight with your best friend. She is also the best person to take advice from, since she has a lot more life experience than you.

7. You will grow apart from your childhood best friend

That’s just the way it is. You can promise each other up and down that you will stay best friends forever and that nothing will ever change, but it is very likely that the two of you will grow up wanting different things and will drift apart. You will always keep in touch, but you won’t call each other every night to vent about school or boys anymore.

8. With that being said, you will gain so many new friends

My friend group in college is completely different than my friend group in high school. I feel like in high school you are pressured to be a certain way and force yourself to make friends. For me at least, the pressure went away in college and I found a group of people that I get along with really well and consider my second family. The best friends come naturally, so don’t feel pressure.

9. When you have a boyfriend, make time for your friends

This seems self explanatory, but it can be difficult to make time for your friends once you have fallen in love with someone. A lot of times, I would be afraid that my boyfriend would break up with me if I didn’t spend enough time with him. Any guy that doesn’t respect girl time isn’t worth your time.

10. Most guys are jerks

I said most, not all! There are great people out there, but it takes awhile to figure out which ones are sincere and which ones are heartless. I knew that guys had slower maturity rates than girls, but even if you date a guy three years older than you, it is not always a guarantee that he will be the mature one.

11. Being single is completely okay

I know that it can be difficult to watch your friends happily in a relationship while you are alone, but there are a lot of perks of being single that you don’t realize until you find yourself in a long-term relationship. You have so much more freedom and time to discover yourself when you are single, so please don’t take it for granted. You have your whole life to spend with someone else.

12. Don’t be afraid to take risks

No, I don’t mean don’t be afraid to jump off of a cliff, but step out of your comfort zone when you can. It is important to experience new things and take chances you never saw yourself taking. The most amazing things have happened to me unexpectedly.

13. School is important

It sucks being considered a “nerd” for studying all of the time or expressing your intelligence, but do not let the stereotype get to you. Not everyone has the opportunity to receive an education, and it definitely is not something that you should take for granted.

14. You will cringe at your middle school self, but you are not alone

I cannot look at a picture of me from middle school without wanting to burn it, but everyone feels the same way. It is an awkward period of your life where you are going through so many changes; it is difficult to not be an awkward person. Laugh it off and be thankful that you have changed since then.

15. You probably aren’t going to marry your first boyfriend

It has been done before, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will happen to you. Everyone thinks that they are that rare couple that will get married, but the unfortunate truth is that the chances of that are microscopic. Do not take it personally, though, people are not meant to marry their first love because the purpose of it is to learn from it. You want to make mistakes so you know exactly what to do and what not to do in your next relationship.

16. Material objects mean nothing

No one is going to remember that you were the last person to get an iPhone or you couldn’t afford the newest COACH purse. Don’t break your bank trying to fit in with other people, only buy something when you actually want it.

17. Being an adult does not mean that you suddenly know the answer to life

For some reason, I thought that once I turned 18 I suddenly became this mature and completely independent woman. When that didn’t happen, I thought that once I became 20 then it would happen. I still don’t know the answer to life, I still call my mom for advice, and I still cannot figure out how to make popcorn without burning it.

18. Do things that make you happy

If you don’t like long hair, then cut your hair short. In high school I tried every treatment possible to get my hair to grow faster so that way my chance of getting a boyfriend would increase. If you don’t like skirts, then don’t wear skirts. Live life the way you want it rather than what you think would get people to like you more.

19. There is no rush to settle

I have been feeling pressure to be in a relationship since a lot of people that I graduated with are getting engaged and married. It is important to not let the pressure get to you, however. You are still young and have time to worry about settling. If you feel that you found the right person and are ready to settle, then that is great! But if you are still single, do not fear. The right person will come at the right time. For now, live it up because you have your whole life to be stuck with the same person.

20. Life flies by

One moment your mom will be taking your picture in front of the school bus on your first day of kindergarten, and the next you will be moving into your first apartment. I wish that I had lived my high school years to a fuller extent. I was “that girl” that hated high school and could not wait to go to college. I went to very few school events and had little school spirit. Although I look back and do not miss high school, I wish that I had tried harder to have fun. Hating something doesn’t help the situation; it’s best to try to make the most of something so it is a little less painless.

Life isn’t easy, you will get your heart broken, you will fail an exam that you spent a week studying for, but everything happens for a reason and you will always come out stronger and wiser in the end!