In the 14 years I’ve been in school I’ve learned so many useful-- and useless-- things. Thanks to my high school math teacher, I know what a polynomial function is. I can even still recite the quadratic formula. I also had some pretty phenomenal English teachers that taught me the importance of proper MLA citations and instilled in me a love for literature. However, the most important lessons I’ve learned that I carry with me daily didn’t come from a classroom. In fact, my most valued lessons came from within the confinements of my own house. That’s right, the best teachers I’ve had are my parents and these are just a few of the invaluable lessons they taught me growing up.

1. You are judged more by what you say about others than what others say about you

This is something my mom has been telling me for years. When I get frustrated and angry because I just don’t understand why people are unnecessarily cruel, she reminds me of this and I feel less inferior to those individuals. Although sometimes it is hard to remember, I try to live by this. Let’s face it: talking badly about someone doesn’t make you any better of a person. It actually has the opposite effect. It makes you look horribly judgmental.

2. Just be yourself

A concept that is much easier said than done. My parents have been telling me this for as long as I can remember and growing up I didn’t quite understand it. I mean, who else would I have been? However, once I got older and started seeing the groups of friends that were literally cookie-cutter-copies of each other, I finally understood what they meant. It is hard to be yourself in a society that tries to tell you exactly who you should be. Although it took me a while to come to this conclusion, I would much rather be the adventure seeking, good Samaritan, independent, laughs-a-little-too-loud, sarcastic, quick tempered, human that I am than anything else.

3. It's okay to not know what you want.

When I was thinking about changing majors my dad explained to me that it’s okay to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life, especially at the age of 18. He was absolutely right, too. I’m still not sure I know what I want to do for the rest of my life, but I’ll figure it out eventually. The same goes for other things as well, you don’t have to settle for something because you think you’re supposed to. Wait it out, in time you’ll know exactly what you want.

4. If at first you don't succeed, try again, and again, and again after that.

It’s okay to fail, but it is not okay to give up. My parents have always said that if at the end of the day you can honestly say you did your best then you have nothing to be discouraged about. You won’t always win, you won’t always get an A, but you won’t do either if you don’t try.

5. You don't know how to fail, you never have.

If this isn’t the most encouraging thing I’ve ever heard, I don’t know what is. I don’t think I’ve ever expressed to my mom how much these words mean to me, but they’re my favorite. Whether I am competing for a title, applying to colleges, trying to get a job, or even just studying for an exam she reminds me of this and it puts me at ease. She doesn’t say that failure is not an option, but rather that I’m not capable of failing. This is probably a derivative of the last lesson I mentioned. However, watching the many successes of my parents has definitely been beneficial. They are and always will be the people I look up to the most.