It’s my Birthdayyy!!! 🙂 Yo girl is getting old y’all. (*insert crying emoji)
In today’s post, In honor of my birthday, as I am heading into my late twenties, I wanted to share a few life lessons I’ve learned over the last couple of years and life tips I would give my 20 year old self.
1.Keep a positive mentality at all times: While I understand that being positive is not something that comes easily for everyone, I believe a positive mentality is habit that can be developed over time with a conscious effort. To me, positivity is not about being happy all the time or not getting upset. Instead, a positive mentality is about making a conscious effort to choose how to react to a situation rather than falling victim to a default response that we all have been conditioned to take when things just happen to go “wrong” in our lives. Positive mentality is about developing an optimistic point of view understanding that nothing in life is ever permanent. It all shall come to pass – the good and the bad. So, with that said, dear 20-year-old, be prepared to embrace all the high and low moments of life knowing that it all shall come to pass. Better days are always yet to come and always keep in mind – “What you think, you become; what you feel, you attract; what you imagine, you create”
2.Live in the moment: Going right off of the first advice, the second thing I urge you to consciously practice is living in the moment. As young adults, we are so eager to jump start our lives that we forget to live in the now and embrace every stage of our lives. You may often find yourself thinking 4 or 5 years ahead, trying to figure out when you’re going to get married, when your career is going to take off, when you are going to buy that one house, so on and on. But baby girl, sometimes things just don’t go according to plan. So, you really need to practice how to live in the now and enjoy every stage of your life for what it is at the time.
3.Trust the process and let go of control: Another big thing I would say you need to practice until it becomes a habit is letting go of control. As humans, for some odd reason, we seem to think that we have control over everything that happen in our lives. While it may be true that we have control over the choices we make, the reality is that we have no control over the outcomes. So, dear control freak 20-year-old, learn to trust the process. Although you may not understand why things are going the way they are going, recognize that in every difficult moment there is a lesson to be learned. Everything you go through grows you. It prepares you to receive your blessings and be the person you were meant to be in this world.
4.Be grateful for everything: Gratitude goes very hand in hand with the first 3 lessons mentioned above. In order to keep a positive attitude, learn to live in the moment, and trust the process; you need to learn to be grateful for all the good and the bad life throws at you. Staying in a constant state of gratitude helps us focus on all the things that are going right in our lives and keep an optimistic point of view regardless of the situation we may be going through. When we learn to be thankful for the small things in life that we often take for granted, we learn to keep things in perspective and recognize how much worse things could be. So, my dear 20-year-old, my advise here is to stay in a constant state of gratitude, as it is ultimately the key to happiness.
5.Don’t compare yourself to others: Although the game of comparison is as old as humanity itself, in the social media world we live in today, this game has elevated to new heights. Living in a world where it feels like everyone’s life is regularly blasted to your face, the pressure of needing to upgrade your life or try to be someone that you are not is a higher than it has ever been before. But dear 20-year-old, the most important thing to keep in mind here is that the things you see on social media are only the highlights of the best moments of people’s lives. With that in mind, please learn not to take everything you see on social media for face value and learn to stay true to yourself. After all, as the age-old saying goes “comparison is a thief of joy!”
6.Don’t be afraid to say “Yes”: Sometimes in life we are presented with great opportunities that we don’t necessary feel ready for. And often times we want to say “No” because of fear – fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of disappointing others, or even fear of success sometimes. Dear 20-year-old, as you grow into the person you are meant to be in this world, I want to urge you to always say YES to growth and never operate from a place of fear.
7.Foster valuable friendships: As you get older, you start to realize that life is no longer a popularity contest. You start to value the quality of friendships over quantity. Friends become the family you choose and your support system through every stage of life. So, my advice to you, my dear 20-year-old, is for you to invest time building and nurturing quality friendships. Look for friends who will be cheering you on during your triumph and comforting you during your defeats. Choose your friends wisely and hold on to the good ones tight.
BONUS: LOVE YOUR SELF! KNOW YOUR WORTH! – ALWAYS.
