Hello Pretty People,
This past weekend I celebrated my 20th birthday with all my favorite people, and let me tell you all, it has been a wonderful 20 years on this planet. I have had so many opportunities and blessings in my 20 years of life, some that I cannot even express how grateful I am to have had them. From traveling to Europe twice, snorkeling in the Caribbean, competing at a collegiate level and attending an accredited university; my heart is so full. Life is kind of a crazy journey, it is filled with so many highs and lows. All are equally important. I thought that the best way to celebrate my birthday with all of my readers would be to share some of the lessons I have learned in the past 20 years. So, here they are:
- Give second chances, but never thirds: We are all human and we make mistakes, giving someone a second chance is worth it. You’ve made mistakes in life and you deserved a second chance, do the same for others. But, the lesson here is never give a third. If someone cannot fix their mistakes the second time around they are no longer mistakes, they are habits. You can’t break someone else’s habits.
- Accept the lows & embrace the highs: Life is filled with highs and lows, enjoy life in the highs but also be accepting of the lows. The low points are where we usually find ourselves slipping into a depression and becoming negative toward ourselves, but it is also a place of growth. Maybe you are in between jobs or you are anticipating a future event; but be sure to enjoy the journey, not just the destination.
- Go to bed early: Getting adequate sleep is truly important to your physical and mental health. It’s not always the fun thing to do but your body and mind will thank you in the end. I also love my sleep time because I can officially give my mind a break from responsibilities, appreciate that time.
- Stay out late: Contradicting, right?! well, sometimes the best idea is to stay out late. I learned this lesson while studying abroad in France, if your friends invite you to take a late night swim or go to the beach and drink wine (I was legal in France & I’m not promoting underage drinking), you should say yes. These are nights you will never regret losing sleep over. It’s all about prioritization, sleep when needed but never miss a night of possible memories.
- Step outside of your comfort zone, a lot: This can be scary for some people because our comfort zones are where we are “comfortable” but life is way too amazing to be comfortable with. Everything amazing and new lies beyond the walls of your comfort zone. Push past the feeling of fear and just do it. Do not fear the unknown, for you don’t know what it could hold.
- Fall in love: This does not pertain to just falling in love with people; fall in love with the world around you. Fall in love with your friends, yourself and life. Find the things that set your soul on fire and pursue that!
- Follow your dreams: There are going to be people that doubt you and diminish your dreams because they don’t have the same vision of life that you do, and that’s okay, but do not let that stop you. Whatever your dreams maybe, pursue them fearlessly. One of my favorite quotes is “If your dreams don’t scare you they aren’t big enough” and I believe that. Your dreams should excite you.
- Actions speak louder than words: This is one of the oldest in the books but I think we often forget about this one’s importance. In life, you will come across people who tell you they are going to do this and that, and then they never act upon their words. Pay attention to this, everyone can tell someone they are going to do something but it doesn’t mean anything until the action is carried out. Don’t forget about this lesson, always remember if you are important to someone you will see actions, not just words.
- Change is good: We often fear change because it is new and scary; but change brings us to new and exciting opportunities, we cannot stay on one page when there is a whole book to be lived, it’s not healthy. How you react to change is key, it’s all about having a good perspective. Every change may not be what you hoped for but if you can adjust your outlook, it will be that much easier to enjoy the benefits of change.
- You’re responsible for your own happiness: I think this one is also forgotten from time to time. Sometimes we leave our own happiness up to other people and things , then we become disappointed when we are not happy. Your happiness is up to you, you have to create a life that makes you happy and not depend on others to do it for you.
- Never give up: This is one of my favorite lessons because I think it is such a simple and relevant concept. I also have this tattooed on my body. Life can hand you some difficult obstacles, and every now and then, they seem impossible to over come. But, never give up, whether it’s your dreams or just a simple life task. Find the strength to push through and accomplish your goals.
- Do not compare yourself: This is the number one way to feel bad about yourself, and this can be tough to fight in today’s competitive society. This is especially difficult for women. We are constantly looking at social media and comparing ourselves to others and what they have, and this is unhealthy to your mental health. Sometimes you must take a step back from your own life and realize the things that you have, it may not be the same as that girl on Instagram, but it is your own unique thing. Appreciate these things.
- Believe in yourself: self doubt will kill more dreams than anything else, and believing in yourself is the first step to accomplishing anything. If you do not believe in yourself first, no one else can either. You must accept that things may not always turn out as planned, but everything happens for a reason and whatever happens, happens. Learning that every opportunity may not turn out like you expected is okay, it just means something better may be out there. Believe in yourself and your skills, and you can go so far.
- Let yourself move on to the next chapter of your life: It’s easy to get stuck in certain points in our lives because it is comfortable but do not let this happen to you. We often get involved in things that we become so comfortable that it gets hard to leave it behind, even when it is no longer healthy for us. This could be a relationship, a sport or a job; whatever it may be, find the courage and strength to move on. There are going to be things that may have once brought you happiness, but they may reach a point where they no longer impact you in a positive way. That’s okay.
- You are what you hang out with: My mom always told me this growing up and half the time I just said whatever, but this is so true. When you surround yourself with negative people and negative energy, you will begin to find yourself becoming a negative person. Surround yourself with positive and magical people that fill your life with happiness and positivity.
- Don’t overthink: I am totally being a hypocrite here, but anytime you can stop your mind from overthinking, do it. Overthinking kills your dreams and creates anxiety. Just breathe and believe that everything will work out.
- Treat your self: The best way to keep motivation up, and keep yourself happy, is by taking time to reward yourself. This can relate to self-love, but every once in awhile, you should treat yourself to something nice. You could grab dinner with a friend, buy yourself a purse or just take a nap; whatever it may be, do it!
- “Never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun”: Life is busy, crazy, hard and fun. Never forget the last one, we get caught up in this routine so often and we forget that just being alive is fun. We create all these obligations and responsibilities for ourselves and I think we forget to just live sometimes. Honestly, you do not have any true obligations. You create the life you want and you always have a choice. So, never lose sight of the fact that just being alive is fun.
- Love yourself: This relates to a couple that I have already mentioned above, but it deserves it’s own category because it’s pretty important. You must love yourself first before others can truly love you, when you love yourself you are much more confident. Loving yourself is a crime in this society, but it’s okay to be a rebel. You are going to throw people off and be called conceited, but you must love who you are.
- Life is truly too short: After being so close to a terrorist attack, I learned this one pretty quickly. I don’t think we realize how fast time goes, and this relates back to number 17, but we have to live in the moment more. Enjoy what life is giving us before its gone. Sure, the future is important and the past has built you, but the now is magical. And, before you know it. it’s gone. We look at time as this infinite things sometimes, but really is a sparkling moment gone, we are nothing but a second in the timeline of this earth. Embrace life, the good, the bad and the evil. Appreciate everything and regret nothing. This is the biggest lesson I can teach you and if none of the above stick with you, please remember this one. If you aren’t 20 yet, be crazy and don’t be afraid to find yourself in new places. If you are over 20, there is still time but not much. Live everyday as your last, because in the crazy world we live in, you may never know when that is. Just learn and appreciate that life and it’s moments are a gift.
Thank you all for reading today! I have been so excited to post this and share what I have learned in the past two decades. These are just the lessons I have cherished more recently, and I had to pass them on to my beautiful readers. I hope you all enjoyed reading through them and maybe you can relate to some, if so, feel free to share your lessons with me. Since I am using a new site, I would love for you to subscribe and join the family. Happy Thursday!