Over the last month, there’s been a lot of changes. Two of the biggest in my life have been turning 20 and having to stay home like the rest of the world. With all of this extra time at home, I’ve thought a lot about my life up until this point. Although it might not always seem like it, I’ve actually learned lots in the 20 years I’ve been alive. I thought I’d take the time to write out the 20 most important lessons I’ve learned in 20 years, because who knows, maybe someone hasn’t learned them yet. So, if you’re interested in learning some pretty obvious things, here you go.
Don’t Be Lazy
One of the things I was told most growing up was “don’t be lazy”. While some people might think being lazy is fine, I don’t think there’s anything worse you could be called. Working hard is one of the most important things you can do. You will always feel better about yourself and your work when you really try and put effort into it. Why bother doing something if you’re not going to go all the way?
Nobody Cares
Literally nobody. Wear whatever you want, say what you think, and don’t be scared. Chances are nobody’s paying attention anyway. No one should ever live their life based on what they think other people are going to say. I wish I would’ve learned this sooner. Living your life not caring about what the person you see across the street thinks of you is life changing. Try it. Also, if they do care they’re the ones with the problem, not you.
Do What Makes You Happy
It's your life so live it. Find what makes you happy and keep doing it. Why anybody spends their life doing things that make them miserable is beyond me. I get that not everyone is lucky enough to have a job they love, but life isn’t just about what job you have. Everyone should have a hobby outside of work that they genuinely enjoy doing, especially if they don’t love their job. If you’re not happy life’s going to suck, do yourself a favour and find something you love.
Be Creative
I know not everyone is a super creative person, and they don’t need to be, but there’s no better feeling than being able to say you made something. I’m lucky enough to have a job where I get to be creative almost daily. There’s nothing that makes me happier or feel more fulfilled than getting to say “I did that” and I hope every single person gets to experience that at least once.
You Need Your Family
Contrary to popular belief, you actually can choose them. Sometimes families suck and aren’t what they should be, but anyone can become family. In my opinion, your family is the people who love and support you no matter what, regardless of blood. As much as you might not want them, you need them. Appreciate them. I have the absolute best family in the world and I could not love them more. They annoy me more than anything but I wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Don’t Be Afraid to Stand Out
I’m not saying to go be a weirdo, but so what if you are? What makes you stand out makes you, you. It’s ok to not like the same things as everyone else. Nobody gets anywhere in life by doing the same thing as everyone else. If every person was exactly the same, the world would be a very boring place. Don’t make the world suck more than it already does just because you’re too scared to be yourself.
Be Organized
I’m one of the least organized people you will ever meet and even I know this is important. The older I get the harder I try to be organized, but nobody’s perfect. For whatever reason staying organized has always been a struggle for me. Trust me though, when I do have something organized it makes my life much easier.
Don’t Be Late
Honestly, being late is one of the rudest things you can do. Just leave on time, it’s not that hard. Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control and you can’t help it, but you should go out of your way to always be on time. While we’re on the subject, “on time” does not mean at the exact time you are supposed to be somewhere. Be the person who gets to the appointment 10-15 minutes early because they know it’s the respectful thing to do. Everyone likes that person.
Know What’s Going on Around You
To make it simple: don’t be ignorant. Know what’s going on in the world and what’s happening right in from of your face. It’s super important to know about history and things that are actually happening so you don’t sound dumb when you try to talk about them. Also, make sure you vote. If you don’t vote you can’t complain. The reason I say it’s important to know what’s going literally in front of your face is simple; if you don’t you miss out. I spend half my time commuting to and from work and let me tell you, I’ve seen some interesting things. If I spent my time staring at a screen instead of out the window, I would have a significantly more boring day.
Try New Things
You have more fun when you’re not doing the same thing over and over again. You might not like everything you try, but at least you’ll know. Make it a priority to try at least one new thing a week. It could be as simple as eating a new food or listening to a new type of music, you don’t have to like it you just have to try it. You’ll never know unless you try.
Stand Up for Yourself
Don’t let people walk all over you, you’re not a doormat. If someone does or says something that you don’t like, tell them. No one else is going to do it for you. If you don’t respect yourself, how do expect anyone else to?
Be Positive
If overly positive people drive you nuts, you’re not alone. People who shove their positivity down your throat drive me insane. As much as it pains me to say this, being positive does make a difference. Having a positive outlook and making the best out of situations makes things much more enjoyable. Just look for the silver lining, it’s always there you just have to look.
Nothing Lasts Forever
Things come to end. Next time you're having a rough day just remember it’s a bad day, not a bad life. Sometimes it might even last more than a day and that’s ok, you’ll get through it, it’s not the end of the world. Unfortunately, that means sometimes the good stuff ends too. Next time you're with your family or friends, remember to take a moment to really appreciate how good you have it. Things happen and it might not always be as good as it is.
Less is More
I don’t know about you, but whenever I hear this I always think in terms of makeup. While nobody needs to be wearing so much makeup that they look like an Oompa Loompa, there are more ways to think of this. In terms of materialism, you don’t need nearly as much stuff as you think you do. Buy less but buy better; quality over quantity. You also don’t need every person you meet to be your friend, you’ll be happier with just a few close ones you can trust. I’m sure there are more examples of this, but you get the idea.
Drink Water
Hydration is key. It makes your skin pretty and makes you feel better. Do I really need to say more?
Treat People With Kindness
Harry Styles is literally never wrong so if you’re not going to take my advice, take his. Treating people with kindness is not always the easiest thing to do, but it’s always worth it. Even if the person is super mean and absolutely sucks, be nice to them. Karma is a real thing and if you’re not nice to people, it’ll come back to bite you. If it helps just remember; kill them with kindness.
Challenge Yourself
It feels pretty great when you finish a puzzle right? Make life your puzzle. Never be bored of your life, find something you’re not great at and work hard to get better. If you’re not being challenged, you’re not changing.
Never Stop Growing
Honestly, if I look back six months and I’m the same person now as I was then, I’m disappointed. I always want to be improving. Growing as a person is so important. If everyone tried to improve something about themselves, no matter how small, the world would be a better place. It’s important to remember that nobody’s ever going to be the perfect person, so don’t waste your time trying to be. Just try to be better than you were yesterday.
Trust Your Gut
You’ve probably heard this a million times and for good reason. If you get a feeling somethings not right, it’s probably not. Trusting myself has never put me in a bad situation and I doubt it’ll get you into one. There’s not much more I can say about this but please just trust yourself. You know what’s best for you.
Be Grateful for Everything
My dad likes to tell me “expect nothing, be happy with anything” when things aren’t necessarily going the way I’d like. Since he first said this to me, it’s how I approach everything that comes my way. If you go in expecting nothing, you have no choice but to grateful for what you get. When you work hard and appreciate what you have, it makes you a better person.
If you didn’t read all of that and just skipped to the end, I don’t blame you. I would've too. Basically all you missed was me telling you to live life for yourself, work hard for what you have, and to be nice to people. That’s some pretty basic stuff but it’s important. If you did read the whole thing, thank you. I don’t want to say “I hope you learned something” because I don’t, I hope you already knew this and that you learned it before I did. Also, if you could please stay home, I’d appreciate it. I’m bored and miss my friends.
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