A month ago, I turned 18, which I suppose is supposed to be a great, big coming-of-age milestone that signifies the transition into adulthood. I woke up on the day of my birthday feeling like the mature, cranky, boring ol' shoe that I now am. Basically, it felt like waking up every other day.
But since I am a qualified adult now, I think that is only in my right to give all you youngsters some of the ancient advice that got me past my ol' fetus days. Below, you will find the first seven pieces of advice that came to my head.
Do what you enjoy. Those are the things that you’ll thrive at
Taking AP Chem was a mistake. Especially when I knew right from the start that I was anything but a "science-person." Sure science AP classes might really steroidize your resume, but if you know for a fact that you're probably not going to like what you're getting into, that number won't be looking real pretty on that transcript of yours (at least those test day brownies tasted pretty good). And this doesn't only apply to classes, school or jobs either, but also to your extracurricular activities and even your hobbies. If you find yourself detesting what you're doing, maybe rethink about why you're even doing it in the first place.
Pursue the “uncomfortable”.
No one ever broke any boundaries by staying put. Find something out of character. Grow yourself. Learn something.
Breaking ties with friends doesn’t have to be hard.
This year birthed the first official "friend breakup" conversation that I've ever had. Actually, it surprisingly wasn't that bad. Perhaps sometimes (depending on the circumstance) it's best to formally cut off ties when two people drift.
Karma is not always a b*tch.
At least not right away. The bestest of people do not always get all that they deserve, and the worstest of the liars don't seem to be tripping down the stairs. But we'll just wait and see...
Prolonged stubbornness will only harm the team.
There were a couple moments where my dance group was barely holding itself together when we started arguing (for weeks and weeks) over our song choices and choreography for International Night. Trash-talking behind backs and clenched back frustration took hold of us. It's a miracle that we even ended up deciding on anything. If only our egos hadn't swollen so large and swallowed our ears.
Keep on keeping on.
My best friend and I both called each other and cried when we found out that we had both failed our integrals test in calculus with a 54. Now whenever that's brought up we kinda just "yeah bro" and high-five each other.
Don’t take anything too seriously!
I honestly wish I could go back in time and put this down as my senior quote. Life is meant to be a happy thing. Don't put too much weight on things! You'll only be increasing the weight on yourself.
