In celebration of turning 19, I would like to share with you 19 things I have learned in my 19 years of living on this Earth.
1. You can find things to be grateful for in EVERY situation.
This honestly has made me so much happier as a person. Think about any situation you encounter in life. There is always something to be grateful for. For example, if you are upset you have run out of chocolate cake, be happy that you had chocolate cake in the first place. Or if you got a bad grade on a test, be grateful you have the opportunity to go to school and learn in the first place.
2. Drink water and lots of it.
I have learned that water can pretty much fix every situation. Have a headache? Drink water. Feel nauseous? Drink water. Got dumped by your boyfriend? Drink water. Ok maybe not that last one but in all seriousness, water is so vital in our daily lives. I think we sometimes underestimate how much water we need to drink and I am definitely guilty of not drinking enough water. Your brain actually does not work as well without enough water. Our brain is made of 75% water. I like to compare our brain to jello. Without water, our brain is just a dry, useless, powder, but add water and its volume, capacity, and usefulness increases significantly.
3. There is no shame in having a mental illness.
I have come in contact with many people who suffer from various mental illnesses. These people include my friends, my family, and even myself. But if there is one thing I have learned is that mental illnesses should be treated just as seriously as any other sickness of the human body. Why do we show sympathy to the cancer patient but shy away from talking about the patient suffering from anxiety? We should never feel embarrassed for seeking out help for ourselves or others. Medicine for mental illnesses should be taken just as if medicine for diabetes would be taken. Some of the smartest and most intelligent people I know have or currently suffer from a mental illness. I like to think that instead of having something wrong with your brain, you just look at things differently than most people do. And that's ok.
4. Quality over Quantity when it comes to friendship.
If there is anything I have learned about friendship through my years is that it really does not matter how many friends you have as long as the ones you do have are very good friends. In high school, I was not really that popular and I did not consider myself to have tons and tons of friends. However, the 3 close friends I did have taught me so much about friendship and life and I still am friends with them today. Think about it. Would you rather have 10 pennies or 1 quarter? Having more friends is not necessarily a good thing if they are only what I consider "surface friends".
5. Do Yoga.
Yoga is for everyone. Really. There are different intensities and types of yoga but I guarantee that yoga can benefit everyone. I personally love hot yoga where the temperature in the studio is 95+ degrees. Yoga makes you reconnect with your body and mind and helps you to kind of restart for the day.
6. Do not be afraid to ask for help.
We were not meant to go through life alone. We were not meant to go through life without asking for help. Whether it be help with relationships, school, health, etc., giving and receiving help are two very important aspects of life. We should not be embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help. We are all only human.
7. Learn to enjoy learning.
You will experience schooling in this life. Most people go for at least 13 years of their life. So instead of suffering through it, learn to enjoy it. Be grateful that you have the opportunity to study many different subjects and find things you enjoy about every subject.
8. If something scares you, do it.
Being scared means you are about to do something really brave. For example, I knew that skydiving would give me a huge rush so...I went this past summer for my high school graduation present. Why go through life wondering what it would be like to do certain things just because you were too scared to do them. Take risks. Smart risks, but take risks.
9. There is nothing wrong with taking naps.
I feel like there is a stigma that if you take naps often then you are lazy. However, some of the most productive and smart people I know take daily naps. As long as it does not get out of hand, I do not think there is anything wrong with taking a nap. Instead of taking a break and watching Netflix during the day I usually will take a nap because if you are going to slack off you might as well do something good for your health.
10. If you are going to have an opinion, be passionate about it.
I have been known to be good at arguing. While that might sound like a bad thing, I have learned to do it in a very diplomatic and polite way. In high school, people used to wish I was on their debate teams in class because we would be sure to win. The reason I was so successful was because I genuinely cared about what I was debating about. Do not be indifferent to the world's issues. Pick a side and go wholeheartedly with it. Just make sure you do your research and don't just go with what everyone else thinks is cool.
11. Don't wear makeup because you feel like you have to.
Wear it because it makes you feel even more beautiful than you already are. Now I know this sounds cheesy, but DO NOT wear makeup because society tells you to. Personally I have no problem going out in public without makeup however I do feel a lot better when I do wear it. If that is the case, wear as much or as little makeup as you want to.
12. We will see our loved ones again.
I know for a fact that when our loved ones die, we will see them again. I know this because of what I have been taught in my church. I also know that not only we will see them again when we die, but they are always with us and watching over us. This has been such a comfort to me as I have lost people I care about. Death is not the end.
13. Do not try to rush relationships.
The best relationship I ever had lasted about a year and I contribute that mostly to the fact that we were just close friends for a long time first. All of the relationships that have ended badly was because I tried to rush something that was not there yet. Long story short, take your time and enjoy every aspect of dating.
14. Disneyland is a sacred place.
In my family, Disneyland has always been the happiest place on Earth. I know, I know, I sound like a commercial for Disney, but if you can afford it, go. I have felt my happiest and most peaceful on days spent with family at Disney. Walt Disney was a genius and really had the family in mind. Disney will always hold a special place in my heart.
15. Hot bubble baths are great things.
If there was one thing I learned at college this semester, it was that I really miss having a bathtub. I know that baths seem kind of weird to a lot of people but they are so relaxing! Get me
a good book and some nice bath salts and I am set. It is such a good way to be alone with your thoughts and really take time away from the busy world.
16. Do not take anything for granted.
I am going to share an example to illustrate my point. I found I was allergic to oranges about 2 years ago. Shortly after that, I started craving oranges and orange juice so much. Fortunately, I was able to drink orange juice because it has been pasteurized so the heat has made it different in a way I am not allergic to. I started drinking about 3 cups of orange juice a day just to get my orange fix. While oranges are such a simple thing, they turned into a luxury once I could not have them anymore. My point is, do not take ANYTHING for granted because you never know when it will be taken away from you.
17. Singing is a form of art.
I discovered a long time ago that I am absolutely terrible at anything that involves arts and crafts. I used to feel kind of left out when people talked about expressing themselves through art. I felt as though I could not contribute. That was until I learned that music and singing are a way of expressing yourself and that I was quite good at both. Instead of art in high school I decided to take choir and voice lessons. I realized that my talent was singing and there was nothing wrong with not being able to even draw a decent stick figure.
18. Running makes you mentally strong.
Running is hard. Really hard. I did cross country in high school not because I liked to run. I did it because all of my friends wanted me to. While suffering through those long, hot, brutal runs or the fast paced 5Ks, I learned that running is only half physical. The other half is completely mental. Your body can ALWAYS go farther than you think it can. I started applying this to other aspects in my life and it made me a stronger person. Oh and BTW, I eventually learned to love running, so it is possible people.
19. Belly laughs are the best.
One of my favorite things in the entire world is laughing so hard that you feel as though you are getting an ab workout and you are about to pee your pants. That moment when you are laughing so intensely that you kind of just look around and realize that you love those around you is one of the best moments someone can experience. I think there needs to be a word for this kind of love and joy that you get from laughing until you are crying.
