My 18th birthday marked the beginning of multiple changes throughout my life. My first year of adulthood included graduating high school, going away to college, and creating a new life 2 1/2 hours away from my standard home. As I turn 19, on January 21st, I realized that I have learned so much this past year, not only about myself but also the world around me. Not only were they important to helping me grow as a person, but they are also now fundamental in how I carry myself.
1. Endings are necessary in order to avoid stagnation, both in your physical place and overall growth.
If you're afraid to move onto bigger and better things, you'll always be stuck in the same constant cycle. No matter how scary it is, you just need to do it.
2. Standing up for what you believe in means nothing if your beliefs hurt or demean others.
3. Some relationships only exist in order to appease the outsiders involved.
That's why we continue to stay in toxic relationships-- because it's easier to go through the pain of enduring the person rather than making it uncomfortable for those around or involved.
4. You'd rather have good karma than no karma at all.
5. Relationships that can withstand distance are valuable relationships.
Seriously, whether it be friendships or romantic relationships. If you can manage to stay in a relationship that doesn't slowly dwindle away, it's one for the long haul.
6. Just because you have the free will to do something, doesn't mean that you should do it.
7. In new situations, everyone's afraid of the same things.
Going away to college really proves this. Everyone s afraid of having no friends, being away from their families, etc. Make the first move to make new friendships and it'll all work out.
8. Distance truly makes the heart grow fonder.
9. It's not your job to fix others and the situations they put themselves in.
If someone can't fix the situations they ultimately put themselves in, you shouldn't feel guilty for not wanting to or being able to help them. You didn't cause them to be in that situation, so should you feel to fix them.
10. Liking the attention someone gives you isn't bad.
11. Rising above someone's unreasonable expectations is one of the best feelings.
People are going to doubt you for the rest of your life and expect more from you than ever, so being able to rise to their expectations gives you the greatest sense of accomplishment.12. Standing on the right side of history is more important than appeasing family, friends, and strangers on the internet
12. Standing on the right side of history is more important than appeasing your family, friends, or random strangers on the internet.
13. Not being physically and emotionally attracted to someone is not your fault.
If the person can't take rejection, it's their 110% their problem
14. Some people are against things because they haven't personally met or experienced what they disagree with.
15. Coming home after being away is such a weird feeling.
It doesn't feel like home anymore, which is super weird because it's the one place that should
16. Life continues on when you leave despite how impactful you want your absence to be.
17. Being independent entails a lot more than you'd originally think.
Your independence needs you to go do your laundry by yourself, eat by yourself, and study all by yourself-- you might start to feel lonely because of it, but in reality, it's because you actually need to develop more independence than you had thought.
18. If your dreams are big enough to scare the people around you, they are finally big enough.
As my first year of adulthood comes to an end, I am finally beginning to understand how important growth is to everyone. Taking the time to reflect on my past year, especially in this article, not only gives me the chance to see what I have learned this past year but also see how I've changed. Of course, you learn a lot when you're 18, but I don't think I could have realized the magnitude and depth of what I have learned until after I had finally learned it.
