Before I begin, I feel like I need to preface this with a little background explanation. This is where I try to convince you that I know a thing or two about life. As human-beings, we are constantly learning about the world around us. And, as of late, I feel like I’ve done a considerable amount of growing – what better way to reflect on the journey than to make a list about it? (If that doesn’t say enough about my personality, I really don’t know what will.)

My only hope is that you learn from the experiences that I’ve had. Instead of tripping where I did before, I’m letting you know where the sidewalk is uneven. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two. Maybe you won’t. But, you’re reading this now and can’t unread it later… unless you get amnesia.

Without further ado, here’s all that I’ve learned from being 20 years old.

1. Appreciate the small victories that you achieve and be in your own corner. There is such a thing as being too humble

2. Feeling overwhelmed is all part of the process – it’s also an indication that something important is at stake

Instead of being consumed by the anxiety of being overwhelmed, flip it into motivation to accomplish what you’re setting out to do.

3. As wonderful as it may seem now, being in a relationship that is emotionally unhealthy is not worth the moments where you feel good

While no relationship is ever perfect, you shouldn’t have to compromise yourself in order to try to function in something that feels wrong more than it feels right.

4. Look for a little bit of light in each day

Remember, even if you can’t actually see the sun, it’s still there behind the clouds.

5. Stop taking pictures and start living within the moments that are photo-graphic

Snapshots can be lost if you don’t back them up on your hard-drive. Memories last forever.

6. Whatever you do, do it with your entire being

It’d be awkward if your barista gave you only half of your coffee, so don’t give your life half of its cup of coffee.

7. Do something that you love doing

Be it drawing (for me, trying to), watching movies (or falling asleep to laborious plot lines like I do), running, listening to music or another favorite activity/nap-tivity, you’ll feel better after doing it.

8. Call your parents and friends once you set out into the world

Call them often. Even if it’s just to see how they’re doing, remaining connected is comforting. Odds are, they’re longing for that catch-up, too.

9. Invest in yourself: you don’t want to crash and burn like the singing career that Paris Hilton tried to have, so take some time to make you happy and healthy

While I also enjoy throwing some shade here and there, the world is full of things that you can do! Exercise (your body and your mind), learn and love more.

10. Never go against your own values in order to please someone else. It’s one of the most miserable things that you can do

11. Set measurable, realistic long-term goals for yourself every so often

They’ll keep you on track and you’ll avoid burdening yourself with tasks and stipulations.

12. Remember that people are people

We all make mistakes, we all have more feelings than we think we do and we are all stuck together on this giant rock surrounded by a bubble until we can live on the moon or something. You’ll have to work with people for the rest of your life. Get used to it now.

13. Even if you drink a Red Bull, you won’t get enough wings to do everything that you set out to do. Overcommitting leads to life-turbulence and putting the phonetic “eh” in “effort” (see lesson #6)

14. Find your person, and once you have, do your best to not let them go

For those of you who haven’t experienced the emotional train-wreck of a television show that is Grey’s Anatomy, your person is someone you can always count on to set you straight and keep you moving forward. While Shonda Rimes may tear us apart by killing characters off and sending them to foreign countries, she at least gives us hope that we’ll all find someone to dance it out with.

15. Encourage yourself to try something new

You might be surprised to find that you actually do like those Brussels sprouts that you fled from as a child.

16. Love yourself; while you can get rid of other people that bring you down, you can’t get rid of you

17. Don’t be so serious

You’re not crowned royalty (the closest I’ve been to that is Crown Royal, and let me tell you, that tastes worse than caviar left in the sun all day), and you never will be unless you’re Mia Thermopolis from "The Princess Diaries." Lighten up, will ya?

18. Be okay with being single if you are

You can’t sleep like a starfish when you have some other sack of human flesh snoring and tossing next to you. You might not be ready for that kind of commitment yet, anyway.

19. Finding your niche in society is probably one of the hardest and taxing things about growing up and leaving your hometown

Don’t get down in the dumps if you don’t find it right away – that just means that you haven’t found people cool enough to be associated with you yet. Yes, you’re cool. Remember what Aibileen said in "The Help" - you are kind, you are smart, you are important.

20. Trying to end a list with an ultimate piece of super inspirational advice doesn’t always work, and you need to be okay with that. Not everyone can have The Final Countdown playing for them all the time, and you’re not Rocky Balboa running up all those stairs

WAIT. There, that’s the last bit of advice – don’t run up a million stairs. It’ll do things like raise your heart and respiration rate and make your leg muscles burn like your love for laying around your apartment instead of being productive.