19 Things I've Learned In 19 Years | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

19 Things I've Learned In 19 Years

19 lessons in 19 years I'd love to share with you!

81
19 Things I've Learned In 19 Years
Pixabay

Life is a roller coaster and it teaches you a lot about who you are, what to expect, and how to cope. So with that in mind and having just had a birthday, here are 19 things that I have learned in my 19 years of life.

1. Sometimes you meet people that you click with, that encourage you, and that help you grow. They can be the most unexpected people, but they always help you see the world differently and teach you a different way to approach life. Shout out to my best friend, for showing me a new perspective on life and loving me even in my short-comings. And my HS mentor, for giving me the advice that I hated to hear because it was the advice that I needed to hear.


2. Sometimes these people aren't meant to stay in your life (& sometimes they hurt you). Sometimes the people that you feel the greatest connection to can do the worst damage, but it is all in the name of growth. If I hadn't been hurt by these people, in the way they hurt me, I wouldn't have grown into who I am. And though the hurt is hard, I would rather live a life when I am constantly growing than living a life where I stay the same.


3. Forgiveness promotes growth. I know I have focused a lot on growth, but it is a major part of life. Everyday you are changing and growing. That means everything can affect how you grow, even forgiveness. This one was a hard lesson for me to learn. I have been through a lot of heartache caused by numerous people, some more than others. Allowing myself to be bitter for so long hindered my growth, and prevented me from seeing the bigger picture. Forgiveness is hard, but once you let go of that hurt and let yourself heal, things become clearer.


4. Life is more than about what degree you receive, how skinny you are, or how much money you make: so live in the moment and cherish your life. Ed Sheeran lyric's come to mind in particular, from his song What Do I Know?, "Just reremember life is more than fittin' in your jeans. It's love and understanding, positivity." So cherish the here and now, and don't worry so much about the future because you aren't there yet.


5. Don't just live in your comfort zone, you won't get very far in life. I lived in my comfort zone for years, never pushing myself to do things that scared the crap out of me and never expanding into my true potential until I pushed myself to do the hard things. We were never meant to live in a small bubble of comfort because as we do uncomfortable things, our comfort zones expand and guess what? That causes growth in us!!


6. Trust God, all the time. This is one is the most important lesson that I have learned. If I don't trust God, things end up in chaos. He helps to be my calm even when things get messy. His plans will always be greater than my own. He knows what I need before I need it and he knows my heart better than anyone. He is the only person I can fully count on when I need a hand.


7. Making God my true love. I learned that this needs to be important to me and it needs to be a priority. He loves me with a pure love. He went to the cross for me. He died for my darkest sins...and I can't love Him? I can't make Him my true love? He deserves a love that I can't even give to Him so I'll just give Him all that I have because that is exactly what He did for me.


8. God time needs to be a priority. If I don't spend time with God, things won't flow. For me personally, I am more prone to sin when my thoughts haven't be dedicated to some quiet time with the Father. God time is what can make a bad situation, seem not so bad. God time can make my crappy attitude, a lot happier. Plus, He deserves this time because of what He did for me at the cross.


9. Find time for adventure. Sticking to the same old routine is boring and sometimes some adventure is exactly what you need in life. At least, this has been true for me. Mixing things up and doing something different always gives me a boost of energy that I didn't know I had or maybe that I needed in that moment.


10. Spend as much time as you can with the people you love. As I think about where I will be a year from now (Texas), I realize that I won't be able to see these people nearly as often as I do now. Which is scary to say the least; so be with your friends and family every opportunity you have. Cherish the moments you have to be with the ones that are most important to you. Sometimes I need to just have an adventure with these people even when I have no energy. Just the other day, I was out till one in the morning with some of the most life-giving people that I have ever met and we just drove along, laughing, just having a good time. This is a memory that I will carry with me in my journey to come and this is something I am so thankful for.


11. School is not more important than my happiness. In high school I always felt like the school didn't care about my sanity, what other classes I was taking, whether I had a job, or if there were family issues at home. They threw on too much course work and only really focused on how to better teach the extroverts of the class though group work or speeches... as if being an introvert was frowned upon or something. My point is, it took me a long time to realize that school is not everything and I can't get hung up on it. I can't let myself get burnt out over it. I have to make time to make sure that I am healthy and happy even if it means that I don't finish the homework assignment or my paper is a little too short or whatever it is. My mental stability will always come first from now on.


12. I don't have to be pretty like anyone else, I just have to be pretty like me. Everyone is different and everyone has flaws, but everyone is beautiful. I think we forget that. I know I have time and time again. I have spent a lot of time comparing to myself to my friends, the girl sitting across the classroom in my Psychology class, or that one celebrity that I look up to. Sometimes I still do, I have to remind myself that I am pretty and beautiful even if I don't have a thigh gap or a thin stomach. I am me and that always needs to be enough.


13. Not all you do in life will be life giving. Sometimes you're going to hate the things you have to do, but you have to try and make the best of it because there are valuables lessons to be learned in all that you do.


14. It's okay to be a little selfish sometimes, but always make God first. Sometimes you focus too much on other people and making them happy that you neglect yourself altogether. I spent a lot of time giving especially in friendships and it always left me empty. So make time to do things you love, but just remember to glorify God in all you do.


15. You don't have to like everyone you meet, but you do have to love them because Christ loved us. I have been told that I have to like people because we're not suppose to hate them. But I don't hate them. I love them because I want to love the way that Jesus loves me, but I definitely do not have to like them. Maybe our personalities clash, maybe we disagree strongly on something, or maybe we're just too different. None of that matters in the grand scheme of things because we are called to love all of God's children because God loves them too!


16. You have to fail because that's how you learn and improve. Failure means there is room to improve yourself or improve how you do things.


17. Having an open mind is important. If you maintain a narrow mindset, you won't try new things. And if you don't try new things, you won't learn new things or fail. Thus, how do you improve?


18. Judgement is unnecessary. Everybody always judges everybody, but God tells us that judgement is not for us but for him to determine. So accept people and help them; do not condemn them for their choices but encourage them to seek truth.

I read something once, a conversation between a mother and a daughter. They were talking about how we judge people immediately upon seeing them and the mother said something along the lines of, "it's not the first thought that matters, but the thought that comes after that." For instance, you see someone and your first thought is that she is too skinny or something, but it's your second thought that defines your judgement. Do you continue to rebuke her internally? Or do you change your mindset?


19. Always love yourself.


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

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

443923
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

17424
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Moana's Top 10 Life Tips

"Moana" is filled with life lessons that involve far more than finding true love as many other Disney movies do.

42034
Animated image of a woman with long dark hair and tattoos
StableDiffusion

1. It's easy to be fooled by shiny things.

Digital image of shiny gemstones in cased in gold. shiny things StableDiffusion

Tamatoa created a liar filled with shiny things simply for the purpose of tricking fish to enter and become his food. He too experiences a lesson in how easy it is to be tricked by shiny things when Moana distracts him by covering herself in glowing algae so Maui can grab his hook.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

7 Types Of Students You Will Meet In College

You wish you could be #5, but you know you're probably a #6.

21528
cool group of lazy college students in class
StableDiffusion

There are thousands of universities around the world, and each school boasts its own traditions and slogans. Some schools pride themselves on sports, while others emphasize their research facilities. While there is a myriad of differences among each and every school, there will always these seven types of students in class.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

15 Rhyme Without Reason Greek Life Function Ideas

When you have no ideas for what to wear to this date function

321943
A dog and a frog
Healthy Pets

I am going to a rhyme without reason date function and I have looked at so many different rhyming words and I figured there need to be a new list of words. At these functions, there are usually at least two rockers and boxers and an umpteenth amount of dogs and frogs. I have come up with a list of creative and unique ideas for these functions.

If you like what you see, get a shopping cart going with these costumes.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments