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Life

What I Wish I Would Have Learned Earlier

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Chapel Hill chapter.

Dear Everyone,

This is an open letter about life. More specifically things I wish I would have learned earlier. From friendships to relationships, academic goals to personal goals. There are soĀ many little secrets that can help you grow into the person you hope to become. The main thing I wishĀ I knew, is that there’s a difference between being alone and lonely even though the phrases are often used interchangeably.

The idea of being “alone” is a physical description meaning that we aren’t around people, while loneliness, on the other hand, is a feeling that has negative emotions as it stems from being isolated. You could have all the friends in the world, but still feel lonely. Or you could be alone and feel perfectly content. At the end of the day, if you come away from an interaction feeling like your alone in a group, drop those people and learn to be content with your own company. If you’re by yourself and start to experience feelings of loneliness, try to get comfortable being uncomfortable. Go solo to an interest meeting or try exploring a new city by yourself.

As you grow older, there are so many new things that you start to learn about life. In the past, I wish someone would have told me to make mistakes or not expect perfection. But that’s the beautiful things about life, you’re in it to grow and to learn.

A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Maurianna served as a Senior Editor and Marketing Publicity Director before becoming Campus Correspondent. Majoring in English with a concentration in Writing, Editing, and Digital Publication, she combines her love of words and digital design as the founder of a lifestyle blog, Anna Elle Liz, and brand + web design business, Mauri's Markups. When sheā€™s not working, you can find her volunteering at the animal shelter, binge-watchingĀ home decor shows, or finding quaint coffee shops around town.