21 Things I've Learnt In 21 Years

It's been a long long twenty-one years and there are some of the more important things that I've some to learn as I stumbled and crawled my way through life. 

1. Don’t wear yourself thin

Life gets busy, trust me, I know. My assignments kept piling up, and exam period always seemed to be looming ‘round the corner, and my mum just wouldn’t stop nagging me to ‘clean your room’ or ‘wash the dishes’ or ‘you’re always in your room come and spend time with us’. And before I knew it I was stretched so thin that the slightest thing made me snap - In this case, my brother bumping into me and me bursting into tears.

So, now I take a moment and do something I enjoy.

I read a book, or watch a movie or a couple of episodes of my favourite show, I listen to music, or simply take a nap. I just do something to relieve the stress. I don’t let it build up.

2. Sleep is important

I cannot stress this point enough. A minimum of eight hours is recommended per night. And I suck at fitting it in. But I’m trying, and I think I’m getting there. But it’s a struggle and every time I have an assignment or an exam (or literally every weekend) I mess it up. But, maybe one day it won’t be so bad and I won’t be such a grouch, and those puffy bags/bruises under my eyes will be gone.

Maybe.  

3. Trust your instincts

God, this is one of the most important things I’ve ever learnt. Especially when it comes to people. I used to always ignore my instincts, until one day I didn’t and it made a world of difference. I used to be the type of person who saw the best in everyone (still am in some ways) but after getting fucked over by so many people, I’ve taken to listening to my gut and it’s one of the biggest lessons I’ve ever learnt.

4. Crying is healthy

I spent a good portion towards the end of high school crying my eyes out every night, and it was great. It helped me to relieve stress and it gave me a moment of reprieve from holding up what felt like the world on my shoulders.

5. A smile goes a long way

It didn’t matter who it was, I would smile at someone and when they smiled back, it felt good. Made the world seem less daunting, and out to get me.

6. It’s ok to say no

The biggest thing I struggled with was saying no to someone. I hated the idea of letting someone down, but after a while people started taking advantage of that and I realised that the only person I was letting down was myself.

7. There’s no such thing as ‘shit music’

There. Is. No. Such. Thing. As. Shit. Music.

Music is music, and whether it’s the High School Musical soundtrack or Tupac’s greatest hits, some will love it and some will not.  

8. Some people are not worth it

They really aren’t. I used to have friends where I would always be the one making the effort to speak to them. And when I didn’t they used to try and make me feel bad for not messaging them first. And I came to the conclusion that they just weren’t worth it.

9. You’re the most important person in your life

I still don’t think I’ve really accepted this to be true. But I’m working on it.

10. Failing a subject doesn’t mean your life is over

I cried when I failed math all the way through high school, and then again when I failed it in uni. But guess what, I’m still alive.

11. It’s ok to walk away from someone/something

This was one of the biggest lessons I ever learnt. I used to think my ex-best friend and I would be friends for life, until I came to the conclusion that maybe she didn’t care about me as much as I cared about her...and I walked away.

I’ve never been happier.

12. Falling in love isn’t always a good thing

!!!!!!!!!

13. Spend time with your family

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt, it’s to never take the people I love for granted.

And I don’t just mean my parents and siblings, and aunts and uncles.

I mean my family.

Including the two (wonderfully supportive) girls I spend almost every minute of university with, the three (beautifully amazing) girls I’ve spent every day of the last year texting, the handfuls of people I’ve met online (and off) and clicked wonderfully with. They’re my family. The people I care about and who care about me. The people I love regardless of any faults they may have.

14. Hate is exhausting

I learnt to accept that there are some people and some things that I will probably never like, but that doesn’t mean I should dwell on them (unless it’s for a good cause). It’s tiring - hating someone/something - and once I let go of all those black feelings, I felt...free. And I could breathe.

15. You can never please everyone

I don’t even try to do this anymore. The only person I need to please is myself and that’s enough.

16. Take a minute to just breathe

I always forget to do this, but when I remember it changes my entire day.

17. You will never be perfect but you should still love yourself.

I’m working on it.

18. It’s ok to make mistakes and it’s ok to forgive yourself for them

I’ve made so many mistakes in my life and I’ve hated myself for some of the things that I’ve done.

But I’ve decided that it’s ok. It’s ok to make mistakes and it’s ok to forgive myself for them. I’m only human after all.

19. I’m not superman

No matter how much I wish I could, I can’t do everything.

20. It’s not the end of the world

Even though sometimes it might feel like it is.

21. I’ve still got my whole life ahead of me

...and I can’t wait, so bring it on.