As my first day of being an official adult, I thought I would share some important lessons that I have learned in the past eighteen years.
1. Rid yourself of negative people and one-sided relationships
This has got to be one of the hardest things to do, but I promise that your life will be so much better without the judgement and negativity from those close to you. At the end of the day, it just really is not worth it and is not going to help you achieve success. Also, just don't be in a relationship where you are doing all the work. If you sense that there is no connection between you and the other person, then there is not one and it's time to move on.
2. Don't force yourself to have feelings for someone
This just never works and never ends well. If you try to like someone when you don't, it is just going to be a waste of time and you should just let it go. If you don't, you'll find yourself stuck and unhappy in a relationship which is not good for anyone involved. Be honest with yourself and don't be ashamed of your feelings.
3. Travel and Explore
Travelling is a new love I have found in the past few years. Exploring new cities, countries, towns, etc. is a real eye-opener and is something everyone should experience. Take advantage of any chance you get to explore new places.
4. Take advantage of new opportunities
This can be scary, trust me. The more I have pushed myself to seize new opportunities, the better I have been. It has always been hard for me to do this, but I have had some incredible opportunities come my way and when I have taken advantage of them, it changed my life. When I did not, it was always upsetting for me to see what I missed.
5. Embrace change
Besides #1, this is the most difficult lesson I have learned and the hardest to adapt to. As much as I like to tell myself otherwise, I have never looked forward to things changing. It is hard for me to put myself in a new and often uncomfortable situation. It probably will always be hard for me. However, the sooner I realized this, the sooner I made an effort to change how I viewed change. Now, I look for the positive things that will encourage me to make changes because, at the end of the day, change is good for so many reasons.
6. Listen to those closest to you and cherish them dearly
The closest people in your life, whether that be friends or family, always have your best interest at heart. Even if the advice or opinion is hard to hear, it is important to hear what they have to say and use their advice because they know you and they truly know what is best for you. This is so important and you need to realize this instead of ignoring it. So cherish your loved ones and take their advice, they may not be with you forever.
7. Accept the fact that you can't control everything
This one is huge for me because for so long, I tried to control everything in my life. It was like an automatic response to anything and everything that happened. It was not until big things kept occurring in my life that I realized this and learned to accept it. I learned to step back and because of that, I was much happier and satisfied with certain situations. While I've not completely accepted this in all aspects of my life, I have been improving and it has been making a huge difference in the way I react to things and how I experience situations.
8. You do not have to get perfect grades to be successful
I've always taken my grades seriously and whenever my average dropped even the slightest, it was like my world was ending. This was just not healthy. As I grew older and advanced in my education, I've still been serious and trying my best in school, but I have learned to accept that I will not always get perfect on every assignment. This is completely okay. There are so many reasons that someone is successful and it is not defined by your grades because those are temporary numbers.
9. Take more time for yourself
You do need to care for yourself first. If you don't, you will find it hard to care and love others. Simple. Make you a priority, that should never be a question.
10. Respect is the most important thing
Respect for others is so important. It should come first. Seeing others be disrespectful is just such a pet peeve of mine. It is so important to respect others because not only will you get that respect in return, but you will be in a more efficient and overall better environment with others.
11. Don't be afraid to ask for help
Don't do everything by yourself. Sometimes you just need others to help you and that is completely okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting others to help you. Trust me, I struggled with this, but a relationship grows when you ask each other for help.
12. Be yourself
Why not? Life is too short. You were born to be unique so embrace that.
13. Don't be afraid to love
Loving others used to be easy for me, but we all have situations that change that. Of course, I love my friends like nothing else but telling people that is so important. If you love someone, tell them. You should not be in a relationship, no matter which type, where you cannot tell the other person how you feel about them. Love is supposed to be a happy thing, remember that.
14. No one else's opinions of you matter, only yours
It is a waste a time to worry about what others think of you because it is how you view yourself that is going to make a difference.
15. Kindness is always the answer
Responding to hate with hate never ends well. Be kind to others, there really is no reason not to. No matter the situation, be kind and I promise karma will always be on your side.
16. Smile more
Smiling is always the most attractive thing anyone could do. More people will want to be around you the more you smile. Also, smiling is good for the soul. Even when you feel like immense sadness, the more you smile, the more you will feel better. As dumb as that may sound, it works every time.
17. Work hard, the results always come
No matter how long it may take, working hard always pays off. "You will achieve great things the harder you work," is always what I was told and that could not be truer. Results may not always be immediate and this may be discouraging, but patience is key and you will be rewarded for your work always.
18. Realize what you are grateful for
This is huge. There are so many things in this world that I am grateful for. Some are so small and some are larger, but all have an impact. It could be something as little as waking up in a cozy bed or getting a good morning coffee. Everything counts and when you come to these realizations, it will make you a happier and better person to be around.
I hope my experiences can help you. I know life is not easy (trust me, I know), but it is so important to take a step back and realize life for how it is.
Thank you all for the birthday wishes! New posts will be coming soon xx
