Turning 21 is a monumental moment in our society. You can legally consume alcohol, you are considered a young adult by your peers and, if you live in New Jersey, you get a brand-spanking new horizontal license! No more worrying about getting into bars and clubs or being carded at dinner for your drink order. You are free. With these newfound freedoms, you have also learned a lot. You have had 21 years to figure this whole "life" thing out. While you have not completely mastered it, you are well on your way. Here are twenty-one lessons you may have learned throughout your journey to becoming legal.
1. It is better to be fit and healthy than to be weak and skinny.
Love your body and love what you put into it. It is the only thing that is solely yours. Take care of it. Besides, if you are a genuinely good person and those around you respect you, you will be admired for how big your heart is, not how tiny your torso is.
2. Tell your hero they are your hero.
Let them know how much they mean to you. Whether it be your mother your father or your long lost friend, let them hear that you look up to them. It will mean more than the world to them.
3. Go to your siblings' events.
Attend their award ceremonies and watch the games you know they will lose. Go for support. The smile on their face when they see you in the crowd will be a big enough win for the two of you.
4. Once you fall in love with someone, you do not simply fall out.
Whether it was a healthy love or a toxic one. Love is the most powerful thing on this planet, it cannot simply be turned off. Do not beat yourself up about having feelings you cannot control.
5. Do not fool yourself into believing that everyone will like you.
This is the best piece of advice my father has given me. The way someone treats you is a reflection of his/herself, not of you. Concern yourself with respect, show it even when it is not shown to you.
6. Kindness matters.
When I found out who my sorority big sister was, she gave me a key chain that said "Kindness Matters." I attached it to my book bag. I saw it every day. I read "Kindness Matters" every single day. The key chain eventually broke and was lost somewhere on campus. But I have never lost the message it carried.
7. Do not live your life for your resume.
For years, I stressed over what I would put on my resume. At times, I joined clubs or signed up for events simply because I thought it would "look good" to future employers. There has never been a time that I have typed one of those events onto my resume. My resume consists of the positions, experiences, and jobs that I have been passionate about and persistent with. It lists the things that I wanted to participate in because I truly wanted to, and when I speak about them in interviews, that passion shines through.
8. Forgive others, but do it for yourself.
People will hurt you, they will tear you apart and they will break you down. Your confidence will be shot and your feelings will be crushed. Forgive these people. Forgiveness has the power of relief. To forgive someone shows strength and maturity. It shows you are ready to move on.
9. You never know what kind of battle someone is fighting on the inside.
And everyone eventually fights a battle. Be gentle with unsettled souls. Their internal struggle will be expressed on the outside in one way or another.
10. If you really miss someone, you should really tell them.
11. If your friends don't like him, you should think really really hard about whether or not your feelings for him are strong enough to stay.
12. If your parents don't like him, you should think really, really, reeeaaally hard about whether or not your feelings are strong enough to stay.
13. If your dad likes him... well then you win.
14. You get what you give.
In academics, in the workplace, in athletics, in friendships and in romantic relationships (#karma).
15. You are the average of your closest friends.
Surround yourself with people who build you and bring out the best in you.
16. If you hate that thing, whatever it may be, quit that thing.
Being good at something does not make up for your not being passionate about it.
17. Be patient.
Don't settle. Settling will lead to regrets and never ending what if's. Wait for what you truly want, do not become content with something because you are tired of wanting more.
18. Give compliments.
Well deserved compliments make people feel good and they make you feel good too.
19. Be the kind of person you would want to be best friends with.
20. Do not be afraid to love the most.
21. Never stop growing up.
Never stop learning and experiencing. Never stop trying new things, eating new foods and making new friends. You are a never ending creation and there is no limit to the ingredients you give yourself.
