When you’re young, your birthday is something you look forward to months in advance. You tend to get excited about throwing a party, getting really fun and exciting gifts, and you definitely can’t forget about the cake. However, things start to change once you begin getting older; the number of birthday parties thrown decreases, you don’t get as many gifts, and you tend to get less and less excited as the years pass by and you realize you’re one year closer to becoming an adult.
Even though you become less excited, you gain more knowledge about life than you could ever imagine. You begin to realize who your real friends are, you experience with relationships, you make mistakes. You learn. You grow. You thrive. You prosper.
Here are 18 things that I’ve learned prior to my 18th birthday:
1. Time heals even the deepest wounds. I know it may not seem like it in that moment, giving a certain situation time can heal you. Whether it’s with a boy or family – give it time and everything will be okay in the end.
2. It’s okay to say no. This isn’t always as easy as it sounds and I understand completely. However, saying no will become an important skill you learn early on in life for future references. You use the skill in school, in the workplace – you’ll even use it if you have a family if your own.
3. Value the quality of your friends more than the quantity. It’s better to have 1 good friend than a million bad friends. Make sure you don’t get caught up in wanting to be
the most popular person in school. Instead, make sure you develop close relationships with those that love and accept you for who you are.
4. Failing at something is the first step to succeeding. Albert Einstein wasn’t born a genius. Sigmund Freud wasn’t born a brilliant psychologist. Michael Jordan wasn’t born a natural basketball player. Each of these people would not be who they are without failing at something.
5. Just because you failed, doesn’t mean you are a failure. Instead, it means that you keep trying until you succeed.
6. Know your limits. Know how to successfully balance work, school, and play. Know how to pick and choose challenging courses, but don’t overdo it. Know how many hours a day you can sit and do homework or how many hours you can spend practicing for a sport or an instrument you play.
7. If you’re not satisfied with something, have the courage to change it. Too many times people won’t speak up if they aren’t satisfied with something. Have the courage to do something about it. This is an important skill you will need as you get older.
8. You will have enemies everywhere you go. You can’t go through life thinking that everyone will like you and you won’t have a problem with anyone. That isn’t the case at all. You will have enemies no matter what, whether you like it or not. It’s up to you if you want to dwell on it or move on.
9. If it won’t matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes thinking about it. It’s just not worth it. Believe me.
10. When one door closes, another door opens. Don’t dwell on the fact that something didn’t go exactly as planned; things will work out because something better will come.
11. Let people know what you want. Don’t be afraid to speak up and let people know what you want. They’ll respect you more for it in the end.
12. Listen more than you speak. Epictetus once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” The more you listen, the more you learn. This is important in school, in the workplace, in life, in your group of friends, in a family setting, etc.
13. You can be your own best friend or worst enemy: that’s up to you. Don’t constantly tear yourself down or think badly about yourself. Instead, set goals that you want to accomplish so you can grow and flourish in life. Love yourself and respect yourself, because at the end of the day no one should love and respect you more than yourself.
14. You have the ability to pick and choose your battles; choose them wisely. If you feel that a certain situation is not worth it, let it go. If you’re fighting with your best friend over something stupid and foolish, be the bigger person and let it go. Forgive and forget. It’s not worth losing a friend over – it’s not worth losing anyone over.
15. It’s okay to be confused. You have your whole life to figure things out. I’m not saying that you should wait until the very last minute to figure out what you want to do with your life, but you should take it piece by piece. Don’t rush things, don’t jump to conclusions or assumptions. It’s okay to go into college undeclared. Take your time.
16. Grow at your own pace. You shouldn’t waste your time worrying about trying to take hard classes in order to get ahead in school or trying out for all of these sports teams
17. Don’t let a guy – or anyone for that matter – define your worth. You’re worth the world and more, don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not or make you think that you’re not. They’re not worth your time and you should surround yourself with better people.
18. Be yourself. This seems pretty self-explanatory and probably the most cliché, but it is something that almost everyone learns early on in their life and is probably.