25 Things I’ve Learned

I’m turning 25 today.

To be honest, I never thought those words would come out of my mouth. I don’t want to sound cliché, but it honestly feels like it was just yesterday that I turned 13. The days where my biggest worry was whether or not Gordo was going to end up with Lizzie are far gone. I would always hear grown-ups saying how time flies by before your eyes as you get older, but it never rang more true until this past year.

With a quarter of a decade under my belt, I just wanted to share 25 things I’ve learned throughout my 25 years here on this planet:

1. Surround yourself with good people.

Good friends are hard to come by. People always come and go, but take notice and appreciate the ones that stay, have been there for you and support you.

2. Nobody’s perfect.

It’s okay to make mistakes in your life. You have to keep reminding yourself that you’re only human. You learn best and grow from your own failures. Stop being so hard on yourself! As the very wise Miss Frizzle would say, “Take chances, make mistakes, get messy!”

3. Travel and explore.

Make lasting memories and experience new things! Remember, there is more out there in the world than your own backyard.

4. Family is everything.

As much as your family may irritate you sometimes, they’re coming from a good place. You will only ever have one family, so cherish them. Learn to ignore their annoying little quirks that drive you up the wall because one day you may miss them.

5. Fads come and go.

Don’t let yourself fall victim to the latest fad or you will be the proud owner of over 100 Beanie Babies…

6. Be unique.

There’s only one you and will only ever be one you. You shouldn’t be worried about fitting into anyone’s mold. People will start taking notice for the right reasons.

7. You can’t put a price on your health.

The sooner you start being active and taking care of yourself, the easier it will be to get into a routine. Health is so fragile. Take care of yourself. You may also start getting aches and pains for no reason whatsoever, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

8. Challenge yourself.

Don’t always take the easiest route in life. You may just surprise yourself.

9. Keep learning.

As much as you keep trying to tell yourself, you don’t know everything there is to know. Whether that be educational or life lessons. In order to keep growing as an individual you need to keep an open mind.

10. Start saving young.

The earlier you start budgeting your finances, the more secure you will feel. Money isn’t everything, but it definitely helps avoid unnecessary stress.

11. Appreciate the small things in life.

Not every day will be the best day of your life. Cherish the laughter of your friends, enjoy a good cuddle or let yourself get excited over a good Netflix binge. There are enough negative things in life to get you down. Allow the little things in life to keep you sane.

12. Eat good food.

For the love of god, stop counting every calorie! If you eat consistently healthy, it’s okay to have a cheat day. Don’t be too hard on yourself! You’re probably going to hold onto those dreaded extra pounds by raising your stress levels on such a strict diet. Eat that cupcake staring you square in the face because…YOLO.

13. Jealousy is a wasted past time.

It will only make you bitter and is a wasted energy. Instead, focus on you and let other people’s accomplishments inspire you. Stop comparing yourself to others. There is always going to be someone out there who’s better than you at something, or prettier than you and that’s okay. Miley Cyrus may be a year younger than you and has accomplished more than you could ever dream of…DEAL WITH IT!

14. You’re not Superwoman.

As much as you’d like to pretend you’re unbreakable, you can’t take care or worry about everyone else AND yourself. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You’re only human at the end of the day.

15. Be more comfortable in your own skin.

Beauty is only skin deep. Looks fade, but intelligence lasts a lifetime. Keep reminding yourself that you don’t need to wear makeup everyday. Let your skin breathe girl! Also, never over-pluck your eyebrows again, unless you want to look like they were drawn on with a pencil…

16. Don’t sweat the little things.

Not everything in elementary school or high school was a big deal. Let’s be honest, grades really didn’t matter as much as you thought they did. In fact that was probably the easiest time of your life. Life gets much harder as you get older, so if you keep dwelling on the small things you will drive yourself completely mad! Just take one big deep breath and things will get brighter!

17. You can’t please everyone.

Don’t let other people’s judgements about you get you down. If they’re judging you about something, it’s probably stemming from one of their own insecurities. You just have to do what’s best for you.

18. Stuff is stuff.

Materialistic items only fill a temporary void. Having said that…if you MUST buy a cheeky item of clothing make sure it’s a staple item that will last.

19. Life’s unfair.

Deal with it. Don’t jump on the pity wagon, it will only hurt YOU in the long run. Instead, focus on all the positive things going on in your life or get excited for what the future may hold.

20. Live your life for you.

Don’t live your life for someone else or through someone else’s terms. Life is too short to set aside your passions or dreams. You have to be happy with the life you’re living or you’ll be filled with regrets.

21. Early bed times.

You start noticing that you can no longer stay up until 4AM chatting with your friends on MSN (remember the MSN days?!). You will start going to bed earlier, and earlier, and earlier…embrace it. Own it!

22. Death.

It’s a natural part of life that can’t be ignored. It’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever have to deal with, but you will make it through. The pain will slowly fade and it will be replaced by beautiful memories you once shared.

23. Compromising.

Conflicts will arise, but in order to move past it you’ll have to learn to compromise. You can’t always be right, especially in relationships. It’s always a two-way street.

24. Take lots of photos.

Your mind won’t always stick around to remember the good times. Make sure to capture the big moments in your life.

25. Caffeine.

It’s your best friend. But no matter how many cups of caffeine you may drink you will never be able to talk as fast and as wittily as Lorelai Gilmore.

Here’s to many more years of learning and growing!
Stacie