20 Things I Learned Before I Turned 20
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Health and Wellness

20 Things I Learned Before I Turned 20

20 Life Lessons

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20 Things I Learned Before I Turned 20
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  1. Be open-minded. We all get stuck in our own habits, but it’s important to be open to new experiences. Stretching outside of your comfort zone could be potentially rewarding, so try not to dismiss certain people, things, or activities you’ve never encountered before because of any preconceived notions you might have.
  2. No one is too busy. No matter what, someone will make time for you if they want to. You shouldn’t have to beg for someone’s attention. If they want to talk to you or spend time with you, they will. No one is ever too busy to include you in their lives.
  3. Hold on to what you love. Life is too short to not fight for the things or people we hold most dear. Make sure the people around you know how much you mean to them and don't give up on hobbies or passions that make you truly happy.
  4. Laugh. A lot. Laughter is important in everyone’s life and multiple studies have shown that laughing increases the production of endorphins, which can actually make you happier. Laughing often can reduce the negative effects of stress on your health.
  5. Eat what you want. Obsessively counting calories and fat grams is no way to live. It’s okay to treat yourself every once in a while. Your weight doesn’t define you and skinny certainly doesn’t mean pretty.
  6. Read often. Keeping your mind active just helps you out in the long run. Reading can increase your ability, creativity, and general knowledge even if you decide to read a Young Adult fiction novel. It doesn’t necessarily matter what you read, as long as your mind is engaged in some sort of article or piece of literature.
  7. Keep yourself informed. Watching the news or reading about it online can often be depressing at certain times. However, it is still important to know what’s going on in the world, on both a national and global level.
  8. Vote. The Electoral College may have a big part in determining which candidate wins the election, but so do you. Even if you’re unhappy with the choice of candidates you’re left with, it’s still important to vote for someone you find the most tolerable. Not voting could lead to the victory of a candidate who is way less than stellar.
  9. Don’t hide your true self from the world. Everyone feels pressure to blend in, but don’t let that stop from living an authentic life. It will only hurt you in the end.
  10. Work hard. It’s so easy to be lazy and stay in bed watching Netflix all day, but working hard and accomplishing something with your life will be the biggest reward at the end of the day, even if it does get a little boring at times.
  11. Stay hopeful. The great thing about life is that nothing lasts forever, so no matter what you’re going through, just know that it will pass and that it’s only inevitable that things will get better eventually.
  12. Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Asking for help or needing help in general is not a sign of weakness. It takes a brave person to admit that sometimes they can’t do everything on their own.
  13. Be nice to others. It’s so much easier to be nice to someone, rather than go out of your way to make someone’s day unpleasant. And at the end of the day, treating others with respect is just the right thing to do.
  14. Don’t resent yourself for past mistakes. Minor mistakes from the past shouldn’t weigh you down too heavily. While they’re annoying and often embarrassing, mistakes are often the best experiences to learn from.
  15. Regrets will only haunt you. Wishing you had done something can really eat away at you, depending on missed opportunity’s importance. Don’t be afraid to exceed your limits and take risks sometimes. Obviously, this isn’t a license to act recklessly, but rather to live the life that you want for yourself
  16. Venting is therapeutic even if it does seem petty. Sometimes, talking really can best cure. Venting is basically like seeing a therapist, except the person listening to you probably won’t have a degree in psychology.
  17. Be picky with who you choose to share your life with. Everyone’s lives are valuable and important in their own individual ways. It’s okay to cut toxic people out of your life or choose not to befriend someone. You’re not obligated to let everybody in.
  18. If you want something, get it. This sounds cliché, but it’s so easy to get wrapped up in wanting something so badly that little to no time is actually spent working for it. Whatever goal you may have, start working toward accomplishing it. The outcome may not be what you had originally intended, but if you know that you’re efforts were to the best of your abilities, you’ll be just fine.
  19. Don’t let the stress of life, school, or work overwhelm you too much. Just focus on accomplishing one thing at a time instead of looking at a list of everything you need to accomplish in one week.
  20. Love yourself. Perhaps the most important life lesson of all is to learn to love yourself just as you are, with all your faults and imperfections. You only have one body, one heart, and one mind, so take care of yourself.
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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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