As an unforgettable summer came to a close, I felt inspired to write down some Life Lessons I’ve learned throughout my 20 long years of life. I found that I’ve come back to a lot of these to ground me and help me just keep on keepin’ on. If you’re in need of some Life Lessons to get you through midterms week, here are mine:
1. It’s ok to say goodbye to people in your life. You’re allowed to take some time to be on your own and let go of things so that you can grow.
2. Just because you’re the one saying goodbye doesn’t mean that you can’t be hurt or sad too. You’re feelings are valid and no one can tell you that how you feel is wrong.
3. Relationships are about give and take. Whether it’s a romantic relationship or a friendship, it should be a two-way street. Don’t always give and don’t always take. It should be a balance.
4. Life is short and full of so much adventure and experience. Take advantage of it.
5. Academics are important- but they’re not the end-all-be all. Life is all about the experiences, and these experiences don’t all come from studying. Take time for yourself to live your life outside of school.
6. Trust yourself. If there’s one person you can always count on, it’s you.
7. Be brave. Be bold. Be free. We have one chance to get the most out of life. Why not go all out?
8. It’s ok to not have all the answers right away. Life is all about the journey and figuring it all out.
9. It’s ok to make mistakes. No one is perfect, so why are we all trying to be? Making mistakes and learning from them is how we grow and learn.
10. Live in the moment and enjoy it. You don’t have to document everything on social media. Take your nose out of your phone every once in a while and acknowledge how beautiful our campus is.
11. Pick up a book and read every once in a while. There are so many amazing writers and stories out there. It’s nice to take some time off and escape into another world without being sucked into the technology vortex every second of the day.
12. Do something outside of your comfort zone. Change and growth comes from taking risks. You may be surprised with how far you can push yourself out of your comfort zone.
13. Keep your head down and work hard. Your success will show in your work.
14. Treat yo’self. You deserve it. Splurge on adventures and experiences, like going to the Color Factory or the Museum of Ice Cream.
15. Be in love with your life, every minute of it. Make fun of yourself. Have fun!! Why waste precious time not having fun or not doing what you love??
16. Someone I look up to once told me, “Don’t live your life on the sidelines.” Go on adventures. Explore. The true gems are often found off the beaten path.
17. Love hard and love often. You deserve love- open yourself up to the possibility of love. There’s not a feeling in the world that comes close to it.
18. Not every day has to be a good day. Some days it’s easy to get out of bed and others you just want to stay curled up in your bed watching Netflix and that’s totally okay.
19. Life is a balance. It can’t be all work and no play or all play and no work.
20. Do you booboo. Do you and own it.
Hopefully one of these spoke to you, too. If not, here’s my last Life Lesson: find your own mantra that grounds you and keeps you going!