22 Things I’ve Learned by 22

So here we are… the eve of my 22^nd birthday. You best believe that tomorrow I will be waking up to Taylor Swift’s song “22”, and that I will be singing it at the top of my lungs. I have played it obnoxiously for most of my friend’s birthdays, and if you don’t think I will be blasting it all day, you don’t know me very well.

I can’t believe I am going to be 22, yet I also don’t feel like I am 21 anymore either.  It has been a crazy year, and I feel like I have learned so much about myself and about life in general. So much has happened that I feel like I am exiting my 21^st year a completely different person, and I figured I would share some of the things I have learned.

Here are 22 of them:

1. Your happiness is the most important thing, no matter what. If anyone or anything in your life is compromising that, you are 100% allowed to cut people out or change directions.
2. Family is super important, whether that be biological or otherwise. Find your people, and make sure you spend as much quality time with them as you can. Life is short, and you never know when it might be the last time you see someone.
3. Everything happens for a reason. Life is going to throw you curveballs and force you to go a different route than you had intended. But that’s just a part of the process and accepting each thing as it happens instead of how you wanted it to be is crucial.
4. People will not have the same morals as you. People will do you wrong in all the ways you would never think of doing to them, and you have to realize that not everyone has the same heart as you.
5. The one who you think is “The one” at 19, is 9 times out of 10, NOT the one. Some people are lucky, but for most of us, we have to kiss a lot of frogs to find the prince or princess. Don’t hold onto someone just because they were your first love, you will find love again.
6. Don’t be afraid of trying new things. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will always make you grow, and many times you will learn new things about yourself.
7. No one is perfect. Forgive people. Forgive them even if you don’t want to, because we all make mistakes and hurt others. Holding onto a grudge or negative feelings only will hurt you in the long run.
8. It is ALL about your mindset. You could be going through the darkest tunnel of your life, but if you just focus at the light at the end of it, you will be okay.
9. Don’t waste time on people who aren’t willing to give you the same effort and energy. This will only hurt you more in the long run.
10. Enjoy college and all the late nights with your roommates, dunkin dates, study sessions in the library, and the freedom to do whatever you wanted. Once it’s over you realize that it was both the hardest, and best years of your life thus far. Cherish it.
11. You can change your career goals as many times as you need to. Figuring out what you want to do with your life is hard as hell, and you aren’t stuck with the major you chose at 18.
12. You are great. You are strong has hell and resilient. You are an amazing human being and you deserve the world. Never settle for less.
13. Your parents actually are pretty smart. Way smarter than you thought when you were 13. So, listen to them and their advice, maybe you will learn something.
14. Start a retirement fund as soon as possible. You will thank yourself when you are 70 and able to support yourself like you were still working a full-time job.
15. Fight for what you believe in, and always stand up for yourself and others.
16. Being single might feel lonely at first, but it gives you time to figure out what you are really looking for in a partner. And in the meantime, you get to focus on only yourself, which is incredibly freeing.
17. Stop comparing yourself to others, especially based of off social media. None of us post the hard shit on our pages or timelines, and everyone has something that they are going through. We all have insecurities, struggles, and bad days; we just don’t usually advertise them. Everyone also goes at their own pace. Some people have a house at 22, some people have just started college at 25, and some people don’t figure out what they really want to do until they are 30. All of the above is totally okay, and we will all eventually figure it out.
18. Being healthy is super important. Drinking water, eating better, and exercising really do make you feel good and your mental health will thank you for it.
19. Success comes from a lot of hard work. You don’t get anywhere being lazy. Make some to-do lists, find some goals and dreams you want to chase, and get to it! Find something you love and work at it every day.
20. If someone is okay with hurting you, drop them. Anyone who is okay with making you cry isn’t worth the trouble of keeping them around in your life in any capacity. Let them go love, you don’t need that negativity in your life.
21. Your twenties are a time where you can be unapologetically selfish with your time and energy. This is the time to focus solely on yourself and your future.  You don’t need to waste your time on anyone or anything if you don’t want to. Focus on bettering your energy and creating the life you want to live.
22. Love fiercely. Love your friends, love your family, and love your life. Be loud and up front about this love, and always make sure that the people in your life feel appreciated. What you give out into the world will come back to you, so be mindful of this.

XOXO,

Steph