Tuesday, June 7, 2011

18 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Turned 18

Sunday June 5th was my 18th birthday and I was super duper busy the whole day!  In the morning I ran a 5k with my sister and then I went to 5 graduation parties starting at 2 and coming home at midnight.  I really wanted to record a video or write a blog post but I literally had no time.  Oh and I graduated high school on Saturday!!  So, needless to say, it was a pretty big and busy weekend for me.

I did, however, manage to come up with 18 things I wish I knew before I turned 18:

1. Don't take yourself too seriously -- if you can't laugh at yourself and joke around, then people won't want to be around you.  Who wants to be around a boring serious person?

2. Making mistakes is the only way to figure things out in life -- I was so preoccupied with being perfect and not making mistakes that I never actually lived and had good experiences.  You really do learn from your mistakes and become a better person in the process.

3. Have a passion and stick to it -- I've had so many little hobbies from jewelry making to headband making to writing to sports but I never constantly stuck with any of them.  If you're a girl scout, keep being a girl scout! If you love gardening, find a local gardening club and stick to it! Having a passion and sticking to it not only looks good on college resumes but it also makes you more interesting!

4. Be good at something; it makes you valuable -- similar to the previous number but 100% true.  Having something to bring to the table, especially something unique, makes you stand out so much.  And don't say you're not good at anything. Find something really odd and become a professional at it!

5. You don't know everything, it's okay to ask for help -- young people (especially teens) always think they know everything.  WRONG-O!  Teens have lived on this planet for less than 20 years, so how much do you think you really know?  You haven't even lived!  That's why it's totally okay, in fact it's encouraged, to ask for help when you need it.

6. Don't quit things; give them time -- I've quit, or wanted to quit, a lot of things in my life.  And most of the things I've quit I regretted.

7. Work hard and be nice to people -- pretty self-explanatory.  It pays later in life.

8. Money does not equal happiness -- I still have trouble with this one but it's so true.  There are so many times where I thought some materialistic thing would bring me happiness but it brought the exact opposite.

9. People and relationships are more important than materialistic items -- similar to the previous one, this is something that I definitely wish I realized earlier.  Friendships last forever, money doesn't.

10. You're never too young to do something -- I was always afraid to do things or try things because I thought I was too young and people would judge me. Forget about it.  The younger the better.

11. Don't be afraid to ask for things -- You want to see if you can get a discount somewhere? ASK.  If you don't ask, you'll never know.

12. High school is nothing like the movies -- especially not an all-girls private catholic high school.

13. You can learn something from every experience and every person that you encounter -- self-explanatory.

14. Always tell the truth -- if you lie, it will come back to bite you in the butt.

15. Having a few great friends is better than having a bunch of so-so friends -- I really wish I took the time to get closer to my small circle of friends.  Don't get me wrong, being friends with a lot of people has its benefits but make sure you're able to trust and confine in a small group of people.

16. Don't make promises when you're happy and don't make decisions when you're angry -- you may regret these later...

17. People may forget what you said to them but they'll never forget how you made them feel -- always, always, ALWAYS be kind because you never know what kind of war people have going on behind closed doors.

18. Make the most of everything -- making the most of things is not only an invaluable trait, but people want to be around those who can make the best out of a sucky situation.

-km

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