How many times do you remember sitting in a class thinking "I am never going to remember this or use this in any situation in my life"? Perhaps if teachers taught us less about things like the Pythagorean theorem, and instead taught more life-applicable things, such as how to do your laundry, the students would benefit more.
With that being said, there are some things in life that nobody will teach you. There are many situations and milestones that every person will experience and learn from on their own, in some way. Below I have listed the twenty most relevant things I have personally discovered about life so far.
1. Life is hard, but if you have a positive mindset, you have the ability to overcome any situation. Set your mind to something and do it.
2. Friends come and go—the girl who was your best friend in Kindergarten may not be your best friend come graduation. It is perfectly okay to make new friends and it is natural for friendships to fade away with time.
3. Heartbreak sucks—yeah, your first love may not work out the way you want it to. That person may seem like your entire world right now, but I promise that, no matter what happens, you will be okay.
4. Love yourself—self-love is important, because at the end of the day, the one person you can always count on to be there is you.
5. People change because change is inevitable. Change is happening all the time. We cannot stop change from happening.
6. But you cannot change people—no matter how bad you want to help someone or help them quit their bad habits, they will not do it if they do not want to. You cannot force someone to change, no matter how hard you try.
7. It's okay to ask for help—this does not mean you are weak. There are going to be times and situations in life when you simply cannot do it alone. Lean on your friends and family for support. They will understand.
8. Quit looking back—in order to move forward with your life, you have to let the past be the past. As much as we wish we could go back in time and do things differently, we cannot. Make the most of today and plan for tomorrow. Leave what has been done behind you.
9. Be honest—not only with the people around you, but be honest in what you do. Be honest with yourself for yourself. You know what is right and what is wrong. You know what you deserve and what type of person you want to be.
10. Understand that the way you treat people does not mean you will be treated the same in return, but that is okay. Continue to be the nice person, the one that goes above and beyond everybody else. Do nice things for others without expecting anything in return. Make someone's day.
11. Giving is better than receiving—it really is true. There is not much to say, other than the feeling you get when doing something for others is such a great feeling. You should try it some time.
12. Your dreams can be your reality—the only person standing in the way of you and your dreams is you. Set your dream to be realistically achievable and go get it.
13. Understand that there is a difference between a bad day and a bad life. We all have bad days, but this does not mean we all have bad lives. Your attitude also plays a huge role in this. Yeah, things might not be so great at times but there is always something you could do about it, move away. Start over somewhere. Do not be afraid to go away and get that fresh start that you may need.
14. Follow what you believe in. It is perfectly okay to not follow the crowd. Stand up for what you believe in and do not take the pressure from others. You might get picked on for a temporary amount of time, but I promise those same people will respect you more in the long run.
15. "I'm sorry does not fix everything." Ever said some really hurtful words to someone then regretted it? You probably apologized for it, too. However, we can not completely take back the words we say. For example, when you drop a glass, it shatters. You can glue the glass back together, but the scratches and glass shards will always be there.
16. Judging others will not make you happier. Everyone is different and unique in their own way. We were not put on this planet to be the exact same, so why judge other people when you know that this is true? "Don't judge a book by its cover." Everyone knows that line. The same thing can be said about people. There are people in this world that have amazing personal qualities, but you will never get to know them by judging.
17. The grass is not always greener on the other side. Someone or something may look great, but once you get to know them or have that something, you may surprise yourself and realize it was not all that great. But, most importantly, do not wish to be someone else. I'm sure that the person's life may look wonderful, but we all have our own battles we are facing.
18. Work for what you want. If you go through life expecting that others will give you things, you are wrong. So, you really want that new iPhone? Go work for it. Believe me, things feel so much better when they are earned. Take my word for it.
19. Your failures don't define you. We are all imperfect people and, as a result, we are going to make mistakes. Instead of letting your mistakes be discouraging, learn from them. When you learn from your failures, it is highly unlikely that the same result will happen again. Keep trying.
20. Attitude is everything. It really is true when they say a positive attitude is the key to a happy life. If you start every day with a great attitude, your day will probably be just as great.
Stay calm on the crazy roller coaster of life and remember these 20 things. Everything will be okay. I promise.
