Turning 21 is such a big event in all our young adult lives. Not only is it the time that we become legal but it is a time that our lives are changing and we are starting to fully enter adult life. All our thoughts on life and knowledge are changing but there are many things from our younger days that we can take with us and keep as we grow older. Here are 21 things that I will take with me into the next phase of my life.
1. Never leave cookies in the oven too long. Even if they’re still really soft, take them out before the recommended time. When they cool they will harden. Trust me, no one likes cookies that taste like rocks. And also, let your dad eat the dough. Even if you get mad, just let him eat it. You won't stop him.
2. Always take a jacket or a sweatshirt. Even if you think you’ll be fine. Even if you’ll be inside. Even if there’s a heater. Bring something.
3. Never be afraid or ashamed to ask for help. That is what our friends are for. That is what our family is for. That is what our acquaintances around us are for. Also, never be afraid to give help. Someone out there, actually more than one person, several, look up to you and appreciate and want your opinion and help. So give it to them, help them through what they are going through.
4. The best ingredients to any meal is that of freshness. Fresh lemon juice, fresh bite of a big onion, the smell of garden grown cilantro, or the crunch of a fresh green pepper. Freshness is the best accessory.
5. Go outside every day. Go walk. Breathe in the fresh air and clear your head. Get hot or get cold and then cool down or warm up. Even if you don’t want to. Even if you have to use all your strength to drag yourself out of bed. The sunshine or smell of fresh rain might not cure your problems, but it’ll do you so much good to just free yourself for a bit of time.
6. Never let your hobbies or passions fade away. Write. Draw. Run. Love. Binge watch. Whatever you love to do, keep doing it, make time for it.
7. Your body is so beautiful and made personally for you. Treat it the way it deserves to be treated. No, there is nothing wrong to eat pizza and fries and ice cream, just eat it in moderation. Give your body the beauty of fresh and pure food. It will thank you in years to come.
8. Everything happens for a reason. Everything. Plain and simple. You learn from everything that happens and we all are where we are because of it. Do not fight it or question it. Let life take you on the adventure that you are supposed to go on and embrace and love every second.
9. Get to know everyone you possibly can. If you are lucky enough, you will get to know the life story of strangers sitting next to you, and I can promise you, their stories will change and impact your life, big and small. You truly never know what is going on in someones life, and more than not, it will surprise you.
10. Learn to love yourself loudly and learn to embrace your own self-confidence. Learn to know that not everyone will like you or want to get to know you, no matter how hard you try. Not everyone will understand the way you think and act upon situations, and this is okay. Do what you want, love what you do, and never look down on your life decisions. Never stop using your own path to go though life. Love where you come from and the family that lead you along the way.
11. Never push yourself in a relationship. Never be just comfortable. Always be happy and wanting. There is nothing wrong with breaking someones heart and there is nothing wrong with getting your heart broke back. Yeah, it hurts like hell but you learn from it, each time, and it leads you yet again on the path that you need to go.
12. The people placed in your life are there for a reason, good or bad. It is unexplainable how we become acquainted to those around us, but for some reason, we are suppose to be. Cherish the friendships you have and never stop making more.
13. Drink, drink, drink water. It makes you think straight. It makes your skin flawless. It makes you happy. It makes you who you are supposed to be. Drink it.
14. Take pictures, take videos. Live in the moment but make sure to document some part of it. Keep the pictures for yourself and look back on them frequently. Keep the happiness of you life close to your heart and reminded yourself by reminiscing.
15. Let go of unwanted and unneeded weight on your shoulders. The past is gone. There is nothing we can do about it and truthfully there is nothing we should do about it. It occurred for a reason, grow from it. Just keep pushing and working toward your goal and your own life aspirations. That is what it's all about in the first place, the bumps in the road just push you there.
16. Spend as much time as you can with the people who make you laugh and love the most. They are everything. They are what make you whole.
17. Set up goals for yourself and keep yourself motivated in whatever you’re doing. Always have something to work towards. Do steps ahead of time to reach your goals. You wont reach them if you don't put the endless amount of work in. But, at the end of the day, reward yourself. Take time for yourself. Life is about all the small steps you take, and you can only take so many in one day.
18. Have a morning routine. Get up earlier and have time for yourself in the morning. Get up and take a hot shower and dress the way you want to look. Make yourself a nice cup of coffee and eat a meaningful breakfast. Spend time collecting your thoughts and then prepare to tackle the day. Do this every morning. Welcome the day and all its challenges with a smile.
19. Appreciate the age different of those around you. Love and listen to the older. You will be successful if you listen to years of learning and living. They know so much and only want to teach you and see you succeed. Appreciate and watch the young. Learn to love life so easy and learn to let the little things make you smile. Learn to share the happiness and learn to not let differences matter in the form of friendships.
20. Never, ever be afraid to live and love life with an unexplainable passion. This is your life. This is your time. You never ever get this back. Life only moves forward, never back. We are constantly losing time, but always gaining from it. Make it worth it. Life goes so fast and you only have so much time but you have an endless amount of adventures, knowledge, and love to be made.
21. And one last one as I enter 21, never get a drink you don't like. And always know, someone is always watching.
