THE 18 THINGS I LEARNED IN 18 YEARS

Yesterday was my nineteenth birthday. Wow! I'm in such a different place this year than I was last year, and an even more different place the year before that. Every year, you learn a little more about yourself. And I'd like to share something very important with you: I've found that you never stop learning. I'd like to reflect and share 18 things I have learned in 18 years. 1) Remember the past, live in the moment, and hope for the future Because living any other way will make you sad or nervous. 2) No matter how friendly you are, not everyone is going to be your friend People are not always going to be kind in nature. 3) Girls can be mean, even the ones you wanted to call friends Sometimes, you lose friends. People can be catty, but you should never sink to their level. 4) People will make fun of you for doing things they're not brave enough to do themselves Anyone who judges another person or knocks them down for doing something they enjoy is simply jealous of the fact that you're doing it for yourself. 5) Holding a grudge is only a waste of your own energy Life's too short to worry about what someone did or said to you. You can always move on. 6) If you never try, you will never know The "what if's" always feel worse than the mistakes you make. 7) Go for it and just figure it out along the way Nobody has all the answers, and chances are, sometimes there aren't any. 8) Nobody is better than anyone else, we are all just people Human to human, everyone is just trying to live their best life. 9) Respect yourself the way you want others to respect you People will treat you how you portray the manner in which you want to be treated. 10) Don't be embarrassed to ask for help Everyone needs it sometimes. 11) Weakness doesn't make you any less of a human, because every person has them They're what make us up as real people. 12) Nobody's life is perfect no matter how perfect it looks online What we present is filtered and edited. 13) Comparing yourself to others is a waste of your individuality Because the person next to you that you compare yourself to is comparing themselves to the person on the other side. 14) Avoiding your problems does not make them go away Addressing things can be hard, but it's always worth getting rid of what's clouding your thoughts. 15) Appreciate those who love you unconditionally, and love others unconditionally The act of loving someone no matter what is attached to them is beautiful, and everyone needs people like that. 16) Don't get discouraged by failure Because everyone experiences it before they're successful. ​17) Mistakes are lessons after you make them What we learn is far more important than what we get wrong. 18) A year can change a lot, so take advantage of every day Time moves so fast sometimes that you forget to look back on where you were 365 days ago. If you've gotten somewhere in that time, you're doing it right. xo Kate