This is a response to 19 Things I Learned Before My 19th Birthday.
I've recently turned 26 years old and I've learned a lot as I was growing up. Life isn't easy and even though I'm an adult, there's still a lot for me to learn out there and experience. I still feel like my life is just getting started. Anyways, here are 26 life lessons I've learned as a 26 year old.
1. Friends come and go in your life. True friends will stay by your side and reconnect with you when the time is right.
2. Never be afraid to make new friends as you go through life. You can learn a lot from them and help you bring a side of you that you haven't experienced yet. I'm still open to make new friends online and in person.
3. Learning never stops. As a 26 year old, I'm planning to pursue a certificate in Business Law online at Cornell University and a second masters degree in either Public Policy, Legal Studies, Communications, or Journalism.
4. Expect the unexpected. You never know when someone will actually be gone forever in your life.
5. Family is important. Friends come and go but family is forever.
6. Your sibling can also be your best friend. My 21 year old sister and I are really close and can easily tell each other everything.
7. You are never too young or old to make a difference. Your voice matters. As an activist, I'll continue to make a difference in my community.
8. Comparison is the theft of joy. Enough said. Everyone is on their own timelines in their lives. I'm on my own timeline and I'll take my time on things.
9. Just because someone has experience in something does not mean they are good at it or have a passion for it. I've learned about this based on my experiences.
10. 90% of everything can be taught. You'll make it through if you have the passion and drive for it. I know this because I've entered the dance, pageant, and modeling worlds with no experience. My passion and drive for those fields are what made me successful.
11. Not everyone will like you for who you are. Even if you try to be nice. I know because I've experienced this back in college. I've tried to be nice to this group girls but didn't like me for who I am. And honestly, it's okay because they're not worth my time.
12. It's okay to fully express yourself and be proud of your accomplishments online. I love posting about my accomplishments online because I'm proud of of how far I came from where I started. People will have mix reactions but I couldn't care less because I love to express myself. My true self to be exact.
13. Post what you want online, regardless of the number of likes. Yes it hurts to see my number of likes decrease over the years on social media but I've learned to not care at all because I want to post highlights of my life that I, or anyone else, can easily look back to.
14. Normalize being a late bloomer. Again, everyone is on their own timeline. I still haven't had my first kiss yet, even though I'm 26. And I'm proud of that!
15. Save your money!!! Many young people do not save enough money. Please learn on how to budget and save much money as you can. For me, I do not want to rely on anyone to pay for my bills so I wanted to save a lot before actually moving out of my family's house.
16. It's okay to embrace being single. Being single is not a bad thing. From my experience as a single person, I learned so much more of myself and what I'm capable of.
17. Network, network, network! Networking is one of the key reasons to success besides hard work. Knowing the right people will get you far in life.
18. Never make your 9-5 job your life. Especially if you do not have a passion for it and you just are doing the job to pay your bills. There's more to life than just work.
19. Travel, travel, travel! You'll learn more on what this world has to offer and experience the wonders of what life is about. I'm planning to travel more in the future to other states in the US and to different countries.
20. Never force relationships. Let them come naturally. Life will decide if someone is meant to be in your life or not.
21. Try out new hobbies. You're never too old or young to try out new hobbies. I got my start in dance, modeling, and pageantry late in my life. And I'm glad I started them now then never. It made me more confident in who I am as a person.
22. Prioritized your health. Especially your mental health. No job or person is worth your health. Period.
23. Be nice to everyone. Or at least try to be. You have no idea on what someone is going through. Don't be the reason you ruin someone else's day.
24. If you're not learning, then you're not growing. Learn from your past mistakes to grow. I have learn a lot from my past to ensure that I'm a better person today.
25. Always speak your truth on how you feel! I have to learn this the hard way in college and in the working world. I cannot hide on how I feel anymore. I vow to speak my truth in order to set what's meant to be free. Nothing is going to be better unless I speak my truth. And I'm hoping you do the same.
26. Most importantly, be your true authentic self in person and online. No need to be someone that you're not. There's no point and life is too short. No one else is you. You are unique in your own way. It took sometime for me accept this fact.
If you read to the end of this, congrats! I hope you learn a thing or more from this. Here's the next 26 years for me! Hoping to make it big and accomplish more!
