A week ago I turned 22. And despite the day having striking similarities with how I spent my 20th birthday (surrounded by people and Korean stuff and trying to get half decent pictures of f(x)), I can now sing all the songs that are to do with being 22, and pretend that I have an idea what I’m doing in life. Which totally means I get to dish out little gems of wisdom from time to time. Like now.
So today you get 22 things I’ve learned in my 22 years.
1 – there is nothing better than being passionate about something. or many things.
2 – being friends with your parents isn’t lame or weird – it’s great.
3 – sometimes having 5 really good friends is better than having loads of ‘kind-of’ friends
4 – not all dreams come true and that’s ok. the lessons learned along the way were valuable (even if their value isn’t known yet)
5 – being excited to learn or being excited for education also doesn’t make you lame. learning stuff is really cool.
6 – traveling really is chicken soup for the soul.
7 – clearing out things from your wardrobe and bedroom is really therapeutic and not as painful as you’d think.
8 – people that give backhanded compliments or cannot be happy for your successes are not real friends.
9 – it’s totally ok to not follow trends. it’s also totally ok to follow them (unless they’re illegal, dangerous, or are going to get you into trouble)
10 – get everything in writing. any agreement, have it in writing.
11 – save some money, even if it’s in an old pasta sauce jar and the value of the coins are pennies.
12 – because then you get to spend that money in any way you choose. and that feeling is ace
13 – reality is often never like the expectation. but the reality can also be so much more
14 – staying healthy – physically/mentally/spiritually – is the most important thing
15 – the person you like not liking you back isn’t the end of the world, but you can still be upset about it.
16 – having your life together is a myth for most of us. being completely and utterly flummoxed by the future is a totally ok thing to be feeling.
17 – Do The Thing. Or at least Try and Do The Thing in Small Steps,
18 – jealousy isn’t cute, but it is also perfectly natural.
19 – being nice to people is much easier
20 – impulse purchases are great, but so is the feeling of buying something you’ve been saving up for and wanting for so long.
21 – living every moment for instagram is not the same as living every moment.
22 – comparing yourself to others is a thing that happens, but it’s just as bad a habit as biting your nails. it’s not a fun thing to do, and, 99% of the time, makes you feel shit.
What pearls of wisdom have you learned that you think everyone should know – and do you agree with mine?
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Yes to all of the above. Especially the one about comparing yourself to others, even though this is something I do 100000% of the time. xoLJLVA Manchester Fashion & Lifestyle Blog
I'm trying to do much less of the comparison thing – so far it's working but urgh it's an effort xo
I totally agree with you. I won't lie I'm totally inspired to do something like this
Yay I'm glad this post has inspired you!!xo
I particularly love number 2. Embarrassingly enough, my mum is probably my best friend! I love all of these, and wish I could live by a few of them a bit more xMartha Jane | http://www.marthajanemusic.com
Number 2 took me far to long to learn, (well, 17-ish), and we're super close now. Thank youuu xo
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – for the other day.Hahahaa – I am older than you and I am still learning a lot of these!Number 8 – perfection!Learning that *that* person not liking you back isn't the end of the world is I think something you have to relearn every time it happens – and it sucks every time.If I could contribute (or perhaps this is what you learn in the next year) working on yourself – be it with education (free or otherwise), travel, spending time alone, reading, working out, or doing the things you love makes you a greater, more compassionate, more relatable human – and people really dig that…ohh and tell more stories. make more stories – shit I really need to write one of these myself.Kelsey xKelstagram
Thank youuuuu!!I definitely think that working on yourself is a really good thing to do. I want to do more solo-travels, or solo-eating out sort of things ๐ xo
Happy Belated Birthday! Hope you had a lovely one. x Absolutely loved this post. I can relate to 97% of the things you said. I guess there are some things that all people learn as they grow up. It's a journey honestly. Zoha xx – Zoe and Tima
Thank you so much!And I agree, life is such a journey and we never stop learning xo
Loved this, and I do wish there was something I could do to cancel out jealousy! And happy belated birthday too :)Annabel โฅMascara & Maltesers
Happy 22nd Birthday Fii! That's a lot of valuable lessons learnt in one year! All I learnt during my 22 years on Earth is not to be embarrassed if I break down and bawl my eyes out on the bus! Haha!Hope you have a great year! xAria | Girl in a Whimsical Land