19 Life Lessons I’m Leaving The Age Of 19 With
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19 Life Lessons I’m Leaving The Age Of 19 With

"It's the life lessons that we don't choose to learn that make us change the most into the people that we never knew we were, or could be."

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19 Life Lessons I’m Leaving The Age Of 19 With
Photo by Jamakassi on Unsplash

Every year we grow a little bit more, we see different things and endure on numerous journeys that shape us into the people that we are today. It's the life lessons that we don't choose to learn that make us change the most into the people that we never knew we were, or could be. Everyday for the past nineteen years something has evolved or changed within my personal and social life which has made me think differently and proceed with my actions in various ways. These days that turned into weeks and weeks that shortly turned into months which developed into years, which marked the time that my brain was developing and creating memories and experiences that I would reflect on for the rest of time. As i've accumulated my thoughts for the past few weeks from this remarkable year, nineteen life lessons appeared constantly in my mind. These lessons became memories and aspects of my life that i'll carry with me for years.

1. Do NOT Take Anything For Granted, EVER

It's easy over the course of your life to gain certain objects that you believe hold value or immerse yourself into friendships or relationships in which you feel they aren't giving you enough time or commitment. This drives you to act impulsively and cut people out of your life depending on the amount of time they give you, or to feel drawn to certain non sentimental objects and do whatever you can to obtain them. Taking things for granted is something that i've seen no positive result in during these short, nineteen years.

2. Listen and Respect Your Elders

You've probably heard this before and I apologize in advance because you'll most definitely hear it again. Listening and respecting your elders is so important, you ARE the future of YOUR family and those who shaped you into who you are even before your time are so influential and deserve the upmost respect. It's simple to get annoyed with family and even upset at times, but you need to remember that everything is temporary and those times that you share with the ones you love is so important because you will remember those significant relationships forever.

3. Don't Let Anyone Tell You What You're NOT Capable Of

Being influenced by other people is so simple when you care so much about what others think. We all do, it might be obvious but some are able to truly hide that quality of caring what people say and think about them. At times these opinions become statements which evolve into ways of thinking which could result in so many negative things. Positive reinforcement and motivation are always positive things but the moment someone influences your way of thinking in a negative way, it's time to step out of the situation for just a few minutes and reevaluate your own strengths.

4. Listen and Be There For Others

You may not even know but someone's life could immensely change due to a five minute conversation with you. Even if you don't know what to say, just being there to listen is something so significant that only few could do. You might make a new friend by doing this or establish a more emotional side of a friendship or a relationship by being this person for someone else. As listening is something we all need to do more of, you might even understand the new person a bit more and gain insight on how you think and the development of your own thought process.

5. Be Active In Your Own Community

One of the best decisions that I made throughout this year specifically was to volunteer and be a part of something bigger than myself. Yes, I was nervous and had absolutely no idea what to expect, but it changed my life for the better in every way possible. Being able to leave a volunteer setting knowing that I impacted someone's life for the better that day made me realize how precious life is and how even boxing up food for someone or comforting one after a loss could impact their life forever. If we can all do something like that even once a week, just imagine the impact we could all make on the lives of so many people.

6. Own Up To Your Mistakes

Something that a lot of people including me have ongoing issues with is confronting your mistakes and asserting the issues at hand. It's difficult at times to trace yourself back to a moment that you messed up and own up to something that you know was completely wrong. While you know that you were at fault, there's usually also other aspects of your brain that make you feel otherwise which confuse you even more. Always go with your gut and own up to your mistakes as soon as you realize they've happened because it may make your life just a little bit easier.

7. Do Not Hold Grudges

We all get mad at people at some point or another in our lifetime which is a completely normal thing to do. It's how we proceed with that anger that defines the future of that relationship. Holding grudges can make days turn into weeks then months turning into years of being angry at a person and not speaking to them. That anger is extremely unhealthy as your thought process for that amount of time is skewed due to the frustration that you hold for that specific person. When I stopped holding grudges I was able to maintain so many more friendships and confront my issues with people as soon as they came up.

8. Chase Your Dreams, They Can Happen

It's easy to lose hope in the dreams that you've always wanted to achieve due to obstacles presenting themselves. The importance of not giving up is so crucial because you're so capable of anything and you NEED to know that. The opportunity of life is amazing within itself and what you do with it is solely your decision. So go hop into that Uber and head to an audition, or yes definitely attach your resume, and email that boss back as soon as you can. Take leaps and do whatever you can to make sure you get close to the impossible because before you know it your dreams can become your reality.

9. There's No Room To Doubt Yourself

In life it's so easy to get down on yourself for small things that don't even matter when looking at the bigger picture. There are so many moving parts of life and becoming angry for a little slip up is something that we we all do to ourselves on a daily basis. Don't ever doubt the power that you have and the impact that you can make in the world around you. If you doubt yourself, success will be extremely difficult for you to find as you won't even believe in yourself. Don't walk that dark path, remain balanced and confident in your actions and everything will fall into place.

10. Work As Hard As You Can

The first nineteen years include elementary school, middle school, high school, and a taste of college which pretty much indicates that you've been working extremely hard for the entirety of your life. It's so important to give everything you have into every experience you encounter because you'll get the best results. The work that you put into anything will reflect the results that you achieve and that is SO important. The pressure of doing your best will constantly follow you throughout your life but it's important to know when to take a break and continue which makes for someone who can truly balance it all. This balance will take time and by no means should you have it together by nineteen, but keep working hard and it'll come.

11. It's OK To Not Be OK

Sometimes we tell ourselves that we have to be okay all of the time and when we aren't it's immediately associated as negative. That's unrealistic and not true at all because so many people including me have moments where everything could be perfect but a breakdown is in the works. This happens to so many people and not being okay makes you think a little bit more about the things that you may want to alter in your personal life which results in a positive. So yes, breakdowns are healthy and sometimes you need to not be okay for a few minutes to be okay again and even better within the next hour or day.

12. Be Kind and Open To Everyone

At times we build up stigmas about people and stereotype without even thinking about it which is such a horrible thing that we should all do our best to work on. I do this myself and overtime i've began to do it less and less due to the actual effect it has on my life. When you look at someone and immediately judge them this wave of negative energy is emitted over you as well as that person who doesn't deserve it at all. Somehow our brains have this way of thinking that we need to immediately come to conclusions about someone based on how they look which is so wrong. I've learned how negative this could be which has made me stop contributing to that aspect of life and I now look at people and think of the great things they probably do and contribute to the world around us.

13. Leave A Footprint Everywhere You Walk

There are so many places we will go in our lifetime and so many people that we will meet. As some journeys may end, make sure to always leave an impact on the people you've met and the places you've gone. You can give as much as you want to any experience that you have and it's so crucial to do so because you can really make a positive change on something that may not have moved or progressed in years. It's so important to leave a mark and do something with the power and influence that you have in your own life to help others in whatever they may need. This drive to leave a footprint in every experience you encounter will lead you to so much success and hard work in the near future.

14. Always Remember Where You Came From

When you leave home and start a new life somewhere else it's easy to slip into a mindset in which you are so in the present that that the past doesn't even occur to you. Remembering where you came from is always going to be so vital to even be able to progress in general. It's your parents and your siblings who shaped you into the young adult that you are and the memories that you made with your friends that impacted the way that you make decisions and go about your daily life. Always remember these people and go back and visit those times and be sure to always respect them.

15. Seize The Day

Every day brings new challenges and different types of obstacles to bypass and it's important to live in the present and "seize the day", sometimes we forget how precious life is and how we need to enjoy every second of it. So say yes, go on adventures, go do something a little bit out of your comfort zone and make memories with the people that means the most to you. Take chances and make sure that you're safe while doing so but definitely do something that you didn't do yesterday and make it a memory that you'll smile about tomorrow.

16. Keep Yourself Healthy

It's easy to slip into bad habits which make your body feel horrible and your mind begins to wander negatively. Keeping your body healthy is so important in order to feel stable and be able to put out the best version of yourself into the world. You need to make sure that what you're putting into your body is going to do no harm only positive work. Taking care of the body that you have is such a crucial step in living the best life that you possibly can. Getting sick isn't a fun time at all and if you could do minor things everyday to prevent that from happening, you're definitely on a good track.

17. Never Leave Anything Unsaid

As depressing as this sounds, you never know the last time that you're going to see someone who probably changed your life. You need to make sure that you remind them how special they are to you with every chance you get. Yes, they may get annoyed with the amount of times you pour your feelings out to them but you never know when your last talk or text could be. Never leave anything unsaid, always put everything out on the table no matter how nervous you are the outcome can't ever be too terrible. Make sure to always tell people how you feel and why you feel that way because just a few words could change someone's day or better yet their life.

18. Remain Humble and Thankful

So many people go out of their way to help you throughout the entirety of your life as a child into being a teenager. This never stops and it never will because the people that you surround yourself with truly care about you and the person that you are. Always remain humble and thankful for those who put others before them and look out for your best interest. Sometimes we grow to be angry at those who care the most about us because we don't agree all of the time. It's so important to thank them for everything they do for you and remind yourself how lucky you are to have a support system that cares about you constantly.

19. Do What Makes You Happy

If you've taken anything from this article please do what makes you happy because at the end of the day we are talking about you and me. These are the lessons that i've learned on the road to finding happiness myself everyday of my life. You need to take the good with the bad and stumble upon some not so great experiences to lead you to the best things that have ever happened in your lifetime. At the end of the day this is your life and every decision you make will lead you to your next destination and your own path to a journey of your choice.

You are your own driver and you can navigate the direction that your life goes, so make sure that you look at all of the ways you can go and remember all of the people you've met along the way. There's so much time that is spent looking at the past and not living in the present and having nineteen years of that experience has made me understand so much more of what i've been missing all of these years. It's time to live in the present and take the lessons that i've learned the past 19 years and continue on this journey we call life.

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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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