This past year, I’ve had to grow up quite a bit. For a 26-year-old I have quite the perspective on life. When I was in South Dakota, my apartment complex caught on fire and I lost everything. I had to grow up a little faster than I had hoped and I learned a lot of life lessons through the process.
This weekend, I caught up with a few friends that I hadn’t talked to in a while. They are all in their mid 30’s so I try to learn as much as I can from them. We talked about everything under the moon and one of them sent me this article. I thought I’d share some of the highlights with you.
The article is “10 Important Life Hacks You Should Learn Early on in Life.” If you have some time, it is a great read. Here are the topics that were covered in the article.
- Money isn’t everything– Yes, we all have bills, but having all the money in the world won’t make you happier. It may assist in it, but you should chase the dream, not the money.
- You Can’t Please Everyone– This one I struggle with. I’m a people pleaser. No matter how hard you try, some folks aren’t going to like you and that’s okay. You have to be confident in your own skin and folks can either like you or not.
- Your Health should be very important to you– This does include mental health. I’ve learned more about myself and my mental health as I’ve been battling through the fire. You have to make sure you are both physically and mentally healthy to live a good life.
- Pace Your Self– Life isn’t a race! This one is hard when you are in your 20’s to see friends getting engaged, married, and having kids and you are single chasing your dreams. My parents always told me to not rush that stuff. I’m so grateful for that. Our family friends that all waited to get married and have kids are happier in life. So pace yourself.
- It’s okay to not know everything– It can be hard to ask for help or say that you don’t know everything. You are a bigger person if you ask for help or seek out help instead of doing it and messing it up.
- You don’t always get everything you want– This is such the truth! Not everything is going to go your way. You have to be okay with adjusting to the curveballs and understand that things happen for a reason.
- Life’s not always about you– I’ve had a hard time learning this one. I’ve always put myself first and don’t think about how my actions impact others. Once you learn this and change, you’ll create stronger bonds with folks. I know the past three months I’ve done this and I’ve had some friendships become stronger.
- Don’t take things for granted– Nothing is garnetted, so by appreciating what you have and living in the moment you will get more out of life. This past year has taught a lot of us this one.
- Perspective is a good thing– The little things that happen that seem so dramatic aren’t really that big of a deal. In the long run, you aren’t going to remember that little thing that happened, so don’t let it impact your life! On the other hand, don’t always think big picture… try to live in the moment.
- Love is more than a feeling– This is probably one of the hardest to learn. Yes, there are feelings involved in love, but you also have to work at it. Relationships are hard and if you aren’t willing to put in the time and effort, then you will struggle. You have to understand that you’ll have to start working together to make things work.
Personally, I’m still working on all these things, but I’ve seen a dramatic shift in my life since I have. Let me know what you think of these and if you agree or disagree with them!
