During the past 19 years of my life, I’ve learned many things. Here are 19 things that I try to remind myself every day.
1. Accept your mistakes. People say you learn from your mistakes. It’s true. Accept them, learn from them, and move on. Everyone makes them; it’s really not a big deal.
2. You’re not in love with every person you have feelings for. You aren’t. You don’t have to be, and you shouldn’t be. If you let yourself fall in love with every single person who you may have feelings for, you probably won’t really know when you’re in love.
3. It’s okay to not be friends with everyone. Some people are not going to want to be your friends. And you’re not going to want to have some people as friends. That is okay.
4. You don’t know what others are going through, so be nice to everyone. Maybe someone got a speeding ticket on the way to work, or your waitress broke up with her boyfriend last night. If you’re nice to everyone, you have a chance at making his or her day that much better.
5. Share your opinions with others. If you feel passionately about something, say so! It’s important to express your opinions and stand by what you say.
6. But remember that your opinions don’t make you a better person than someone else. Learn to accept your differences, and learn from others. Just because someone feels passionately about something that you are completely against doesn’t mean that they are an awful person, or that you can’t be friends.
7. Drunken nights are not the “best nights of your life”. Please, please, PLEASE remember this. The best nights of your life are the ones you remember. Sometimes, the best nights of your life are the ones where you do something simple and relaxing with the people who matter most to you.
8. ALWAYS take advantage of new opportunities. I cannot stress this enough. Even if you’re unsure of how it will work out, take the opportunity. If it’s something small, remember that it could lead to bigger things. Honestly, what do you have to lose? Nothing.
9. We’re too young to take life so seriously. Grades, friendships, careers, and our love lives. We take so many things seriously. Why? I don’t really know. Your dream job isn’t going to turn you down because you got a C in a class. They’re just not. Remember that you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, so loosen up, enjoy what life throws at you, and stop taking everything so seriously.
10. It’s okay to fail. In fact, you should fail. How will you know you’ve truly succeeded unless you fail? I’m not saying make no effort, but don’t hate yourself when you really can’t come up with any awesome ideas for a project. It will come to you, or it won’t, but all you have to know is that it’s not a big deal.
11. Challenge yourself in school. I’m so sick of hearing students asking who the easiest teacher is for a subject, especially in their major. You’re paying thousands of dollars, why don’t you want to challenge yourself and learn? Ask questions in class. Even if it’s a “stupid question” (which no question is), ask it. Our professors have years of wisdom, and you could ask a question that could lead into a totally different conversation.
12. Peer pressure is real, but you can shut it down. Another drink. Try this drug. Go to this party. These are some pretty extreme examples, but they’re very real. Even if it’s your best friend, know that you can say no.
13. Believe in your dreams. It’s incredible to think that we have an opportunity to make these dreams come true, so please believe in yourself. Don’t ever think that your dream is too big, because it isn’t. You can do absolutely anything that you want to do.
14. Make a difference. In someone’s day, in someone’s life, or just in general- making a difference is so valuable. You can do anything, big or small, and even though you may not get direct thanks, know that you truly have made a difference.
15. Remember to thank your parents. Your parents are the most important people in your life. They love you always, regardless of how you’re acting, how you treat them (although you should treat them like kings and queens), and through every phase you have.
16. If you love somebody, just go ahead and tell them. Life is just too dang short not to tell people how you really feel. If you love somebody, tell them. If you think they’re beautiful, tell them. If you can’t live without them, tell them. Don’t be afraid of rejection, just express your true feelings and trust that you’ll feel better knowing that they know how you really feel.
17. Let yourself be lazy, sometimes. It’s okay to occasionally sleep on the couch all day. Take a nap- you deserve it. But know when to get out of bed and do things.
18. Get your feelings out. Buy a journal and write your feelings down. Write whatever you’re thinking about, whether it’s happy, sad, good, bad, or whatever other feeling you have. Show someone, or don’t. Burn it, rip it to shreds, or keep it in a box in your closet. Regardless, know that those things and feelings are now out of you.
19. Know that some things may not end up okay. In a perfect world, everything would be okay. Exes would be friends, no one would lose their job, and we could all afford to pay rent every month. In a real world, this isn’t always the case. Remember that it’s okay that things aren’t okay.