20 years. Two decades of living. As I leave my teenage years and begin my journey into adulthood, there are a lot of things I’ve come to ponder. My life has been quite the ride these past 20 years, which gave me time to reflect on the many things I’ve learned over the years. Here are some lessons I’ve learned from the last 20 years:
Home can be your Best Friend
As much as I love a night out or going to a party, I really enjoy the time I spend at home doing nothing as well. Growing up, I was never really allowed to go out often. As I started getting older, those rules were loosened a bit and I used that to my advantage to go out all the time with my friends. I’ve made so many memories with my friends and we’ve been on many adventures together, but after a while, I started to miss the days I just stayed home. Chilling on my couch, watching Netflix or eating leftovers, was my idea of a good night spent. When life starts to get more stressful, sometimes a night in is all you really need (and maybe a glass of wine here and there).
Social Media is not Everything
With a generation growing up with social media, you come to learn that social media is overrated. When I say that social media is overrated, I mean the part where everyone is constantly documenting their life and the overkill on selfies. Social media becomes more of a form of communication, a source for memes and life hacks, and a news hub as you grow older. We used to care about our self-image and how we’re portrayed to random people we don’t even know. Honestly, that’s just time-consuming.
Not All Friendships Last
I’ve made a lot of friends over the years, but I’ve also fallen off with a bunch of friends too. After high school, you come to see who your real friends are. Those friends are the ones who continued to stick around or the ones who were there for you through the hard times, not just the fun times. As you grow older, you realize that having a lot of friends is not that amazing. All you really need are the couple really close friends you have, and they end up becoming your best friends forever.
Being Confused about your Future is Normal
A lot of times, we go into university or college thinking we know our future path. Although there are many people who have their plan set, there’s a good chunk of young adults who have no clue about their future. It doesn’t make it easier that society is built on getting a degree in order to have a decent paying job, or how hard it is to get a job anywhere. It’s perfectly normal to be confused about your future. That’s exactly why we start young, and you have many years to figure that out. Everyone moves at a different pace, and it’s okay to be a little behind. Patience is a virtue, which is something to hold on to as you move forward in life. We all have some setbacks in our plans, but that’s what life is about.
Although I’m sad to be growing older, no longer being a teenager and having more responsibility, I’m kind of happy to start a new chapter in my life. With my 20th birthday approaching, I’ve reflected on the memories and regrets I’ve encountered. Everyone grows up differently and has learned different things as well. Don’t dwell on the things you regret, but rather, take it as advice for your years ahead. They say “Your twenties are your prime years in life,” and I’m excited to see what the future holds for me.