I turned 27 years old on March 2nd and I thought I would share 27 things I have learned in my life so far.
1) Learn how to meditate and be with yourself. Meditation has numerous health benefits and should really be taught in school and to everyone. Meditation and has helped me to feel calm and centered.
2) Stretch or Practice Yoga daily. I was always super flexible and limber as a kid and I would always joked with adults who complained about back pain like they were crazy. Turns out the joke is on me. I definitely have some tweaks and pain from lack of mobility. Plus, practicing yoga is good for the body and the mind.
3) Stop caring about what anyone thinks about you. This one is so much easier said than done. But, it’s so true. I have spent so much time worrying about what someone thought about me in high school or just in my life that I haven’t seen since then. It doesn’t matter.
4) Ground yourself daily. It’s so easy to get caught up in this rat race and productivity that we call life. But, it’s important to ground yourself. I like to do this by Earthing which is where you go outside and put your bare feet on the Earth and just breathe.
5) Treat others how you want to be treated. If you want others to treat you well, be kind to people.
6) Spend more time with your dog or animals in general. They bring such love, joy and unconditional presence. Appreciate them while you have them.
7) Learn about yourself. There is only ever going to be one you and you are with you your entire life. Might as well know yourself and your likes/dislikes.
8) Keep everything clean and organized. The stress of being disorganized is simply not worth it. Panicking about finding something because you don’t know where it’s at, is precious time that you can’t get back.
9) Volunteer and give back to others when you can. This is something I’m still trying to work on is incorporating some type of volunteer work in my schedule. I always feel better when I give back and it feels good to serve the community and help others.
10) Be in nature more. It’s really easy to get disconnected from nature. Nature is free and is always giving to us. It feels good to just breathe and be surrounded by trees or water.
11) Gratitude is everything. Being grateful is super important and helps you to realize what you already have is enough. It changes your perspective entirely and I have found that being grateful changes my bad mood into a good one.
12) Do what you love simply because you love it. Not every passion or hobby has to turn into a career, sometimes it’s nice to just enjoy certain things just because.
13) It’s okay to disagree with your parents or friends. You have your own opinions and beliefs about things that may conflict with the people you love and that’s perfectly okay.
14) Drink plenty of water. Stay hydrated. It sucks to have to go to the bathroom often but it’s way more important to stay hydrated.
15) There is no rush to get married or have kids. Or to do anything for that matter. Societal pressure is stupid. Everyone has their own unique path in life. Live life at your own pace
16) Don’t work at a job that you are absolutely miserable at. You spend SO much time at your job, that this is inevitably going to leadfeeling stuck in life.
17) Wear what you want and best suits you. Who cares about trends and what is normal.
18) Travel and see the world. I studied abroad in France for a month when I was in college. It was one of the most memorable months of my life. I grew so much as a person and it was wonderful to be immersed in a different culture and learn a new language.
19) Laugh and smile more. Cause life is too short and there are way too many funny cat videos on YouTube to laugh at.
20) Time goes by way faster than what you think. When I was younger, I couldn’t wait to get older and wanted time to speed up. Now, that I have gotten a little older I wish time would slow down a little bit. Every stage in life is temporary. Enjoy every moment.
21) Have fun and go with the flow! Life is a lot like a rollercoaster with many highs and lows.
22) Being in a relationship is fun but it is not the solution to all of your problems. I love my boyfriend but he’s not my everything. Nor should he be.
23) Be more open minded and be willing to try everything at least once.
24) Take lots of pictures and videos. I love to look back on old pictures and videos to see what I was like at various ages. Life has sped by and it’s nice to have plenty of pictures and videos to look back on.
25) Read more. I love to read, but as I grew up and had to read more textbooks and books for school, I stopped reading as much for pleasure. I have started to get back into reading since the quarantine started and it’s been one of th best things. Reading expands your mind to other points of view and helps with imagination and creativity. There’s nothing better than a good book, a cup of tea and comfy chair to soothe my soul.
26) Get out of your comfort zone. Comfort zones are really like an invisible fence that locks you in. Anytime I have pushed myself, outside of my comfort zone I have not regretted it.
27) Be on your own side and be your own greatest ally. One of my favorite quotes is an African proverb that says “If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm.”I could spend probably my whole life digesting and living by that quote.
All of these things I have learned but I have definitely not mastered. I still have so much to learn and life is a forever journey.
