19 Life Lessons at 19

In light of turning 19 recently, I wanted to share 19 life lessons that I have held close to me:

1. Make it a habit to make your bed first thing in the morning. Even though it’s a small task, it sets a more positive tone to your day.
2. You’re the storyteller of your life. Pull the biggest plot twists possible. No matter what happens, at least it’ll be good for the narrative. 
3. Don’t write off people. Everyone is layered and not a part of your personal character analysis. 
4. Don’t let your fear of looking stupid or not being good at something stop you from doing something you love. It’s perfectly okay to blatantly fail. 
5. Always let gratitude guide you – it will ground you and remind you of all the good things you forget at times.
6. As a person who wants kids in the future, there is no way a parent can fully avoid inflicting trauma upon their children. In one way or another, you will mess up, even if it’s unintentional. The best thing you can do is be flexible and open to your child’s thoughts and feelings. 
7. Never be the person who looks down on another person for being excited about something. 
8. If you truly love or care about someone, don’t get into an argument with the attitude of wanting to win. You’re on their team, so act like it. 
9. Watch Taylor Swift’s NYU commencement speech more often.
10. No matter how much you try, you’ll always miss something in life. So instead of trying to hold on to everything around you, just let go and enjoy what you have in the moment.
11. You are not a letter grade, an accomplishment, the colleges you get into, or what someone thinks about you. You are you, so place your self-worth within yourself and not in wavering, external factors.
12. Even if you’re not motivated to do something, just do 5 minutes of it in a day. Small progress is better than no progress at all. 
13. Your education is one of the only things you’ll have throughout your whole life. So always be curious and keep on learning through everyone and everything around you. 
14. “Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be polite.” ~ Taylor Swift, “Marjorie”
15. The bravest thing you can do is to try even after failing. 
16. Always save coupons, and don’t feel shy to bargain – it’s your money after all. 
17. Rejection is redirection.
18. Embrace your culture – it is so cool that you have a heritage to celebrate. 
19. It is never too late to start over. (Just like you should start over by reading this article again because this is some good advice).

• #experiences
• #friends
• #mental health
• birthday
• life
• life lessons