18 Lessons I Learned In 2018
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Student Life

18 Lessons I Learned In 2018

This year was filled with laughs and tears, but more than anything it was filled with lessons learned.

ashleigh crouch
Jan 08, 2019
Jacksonville State University
29
fireworks
Wikimedia

2018 had both good and bad moments, but all around it was a great year for me. Graduating high school and starting college taught me a lot in a very short amount of time. I'm proud to say that I'm walking out of 2018 a better, stronger, more confident person. Here are 18 things 2018 taught me.

If someone cares about you, they will make time for you. 

The idea that someone can be too busy to ever see you is crap. If someone really wants to spend time with you, they will find a way. If they can't find at least a little time for you, you're not a priority in their life.

You can't force relationships. 

No matter how perfect someone or something may seem in your head, you can't force someone to love you, whether that be in a romantic way or a completely platonic way. If it's meant to happen it will happen, and if it's not, you have to move on.

Some people just aren't meant to be permanent characters in your life. 

As hard as it may be to lose friends or lose touch with people you were once really close with, you have to understand that everyone is not permanent. Sometimes, especially in high school, you have the friends that you have because they're convenient, and that's okay.

Being confident does not make you conceited. 

It is okay to love yourself. It is okay to think of yourself as pretty. It is okay to take a thousand selfies, or take a second to admire yourself in the mirror. As long as you don't cross over into bringing other people down to build yourself up, it is okay.

Be kind, to everyone. 

As cliché as it sounds, every single person you meet has a personal life that you most likely know nothing about. You never know the positive impact that a simple compliment or act of kindness from you has on someone. Try your best to be kind to everyone you meet.

Everything happens according to God's timing, not yours. 

It can be easy to get caught up in the idea that you're somehow "behind" someone else in the race of life, but the reality is that life is not a race. Just because someone else your age is married or has already bought a house or already has a career, doesn't mean that you have to do those things too. It will happen for you when it's meant to happen, and it's all a part of God's greater plan.

Money will never make you truly happy. 

You can spend your whole life trying to convince yourself that if you had more money, you would finally be happy. However, it's human nature to always want more than what we have. Focus on being content with what you have instead of wasting your life away wishing you had more.

Everything will work out how it is supposed to work out. 

So many times in the past year, things have not worked out exactly how I wanted to, and every single time, I have always ended up happier because of it. Stop worrying about what you might have been, and just let things happen.

Being in a relationship is not everything.

When you're single, especially if you have been single for a long time, it starts to seem like everyone else around you is dating someone. That loneliness can lead you to pursue relationships with people that you know are not right for you, and that just isn't healthy. Focus on being happy with yourself. If and when the right person comes along, you'll know it.

No one really has life figured out. 

When you're young, it seems like every adult knows exactly what they're doing at all times. As you get older, you realize how far from the truth that actually is. In all honesty, we're all pretty much winging it a lot of the time. It's okay to not have it all figured out just yet.

You have to stand for something. 

It is important to know what your own morals are, especially as a college student. Everyone has an opinion, and everyone believes their opinion to be fact. The easiest way for someone to get you to do something you wouldn't normally do is if your moral ground is not solid.

You are not entitled to anything. 

Never ever catch yourself thinking that you deserve something when you know you haven't worked for it.

Positive thinking goes a long way.

Anyone can sit around and point out everything that's negative about a person or a situation. Focus on being the kind of person that sees something good in everything and everyone, and it will change your life.

Make the most of where you are right now. 

A lot of us waste our lives away wishing for the weekend, or to graduate, or to fall in love. Don't waste the time you have now wishing something better was happening. Stop waiting for your future "moment," and make the most of the moment you are in right now.

It's okay to walk away. 

The moment that a person or situation stops being productive, it's okay to walk away. Loyalty is one thing, but it's not worth staying even when something becomes unhealthy, which brings me to my next point...

Loyalty is not blind love. 

Just because you've known someone for a long time, doesn't mean you owe them your loyalty. And just because you are loyal to someone, doesn't mean you can't hold them accountable for their mistakes.

Comparison is the enemy. 

Stop comparing yourself to other people. You are who you are. When you spend your time wondering why you're not as popular, or as smart, or as wealthy as someone else, you're stealing your own happiness.

In the end, it's all about what makes you happy. 

You are the one that has to live with your decisions. You, in all reality, are the person you will spend your entire life with. Don't waste time trying to please everyone else. Just do you.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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