Note to future self: the current year is 2020, the universe is shitting on all of humanity. Global warming, politicians (bleh), country-wide protests, fires in California, the death of loved ones, and a global pandemic. Despite of all of this, you still continue to maintain your stride in becoming your best self and I think that you should show yourself some more appreciation. So, here are 22 lessons that you’ve learned during the age of 22:

  1. This is the least serious one of them all but GIRL, you can spare 10 minutes of your day for a quick workout. Just do it.
  2. Success is determined by the way people look at you, not by how much money you have or how many people know you.
  3. People are going to talk about you regardless, let them.
  4. You can always re-ignite an old passion, what are you waiting for?
  5. Once you get the right momentum, take it and run as fast as you can. Life doesn’t wait for anyone.
  6. You should invest in your own self-care as much as you’re investing in your career. (This doesn’t just have to be money, you can invest time as well.)
  7. Ignoring how you feel or what you need is a form of self-abandonment.
  8. Self-care can be ugly sometimes. It means doing things that are hard just to create a better life for yourself.
  9. In order to become the best version of yourself, you have to be accepting of all the different parts of yourself- the happy, the sad, and the broken bits.
  10. You can do fine on your own but the feeling of loneliness is a different battle.
  11. You can have different people in your life that serve a different purpose. Some people bring out your creative side, others are therapeutic, and then some can make you laugh until your stomach hurts. This can apply to anyone in your life.
  12. Some people can be all of those things in one for you.
  13. Don’t wait for there to be a pandemic just to check up on your friends and family.
  14. Take note of the people who make you feel like magic. Keep them, hold on to them for life, and make more time for them.
  15. Reaching a point of comfort with your significant other isn’t just wearing sweatpants and no makeup. It could also look like the same arguments, anxieties, and bad habits.
  16. You should never grow comfortable with creating stress in your relationship.
  17. Speak on what matters even if your voice shakes.
  18. You are capable of so much more than you believe.
  19. You will experience a great loss at this age but you will also experience one of your biggest accomplishments. That’s just how life goes, unfortunately.
  20. A heart that can be broken again and again deserves to be taken care of.
  21. You don’t always have to be that happy, cheerful, and positive person- you’re human too.
  22. You don’t realize that these are the moments that you’ll remember forever until one day, like today, you’re looking back at all of your old memories.

After reflecting on these lessons, I feel like the age of 22 was very career-oriented for me and I’m okay with that. Seriously, I just want to take off and build my own career. I’m tired of working for the man, I want to be my own boss. (In reference to the head of the current company I work for, my direct boss is actually like a brother figure to me now.) So, I’m going to continue to work my ass off and take care of myself/loved ones- let’s see what life lessons I’ll learn at 23.

Thank you for reading! I had around 300 hits last month which is a lot for just one post alone. Thank you so much for the support!

x

Jessica