I celebrated my 20 years of being alive on this beautiful planet Earth last month of May.
I am a person who likes to list things down and so before I turned 20, I decided to do some listings. I already published an article about my list on 20 Things I'm Grateful for in My 20 Years on Earth.
This time, here's the list that I wrote in my journal… the 20 things I learned before I turned 20.
#1 The person I will be with forever is myself. I am my own best friend, but I could also be my worst enemy.
I learned this from Angely Dub, one of my favorite girl bosses, in one of her podcast episodes called ‘Life in Progress’. The moment I heard of this, it was immediately engraved in my mind because it is indeed true. I, myself, am the only person that will always be there for myself. Not my parents, bestfriends, partner, or anything. They may be there for me, but not actually all the time. Because in the end, they also have their own lives, each of us has their own lives. That's why I learned that as much as we can, we should be independent and not rely on others for most of the time.
The person I will be with forever is myself. And I chose to be my own best friend by loving myself the way I love the important people around me.
#2 Adults are not always right. Being older doesn't equate to being more knowledgeable.
As I grew up, this is what I realized. When I was a kid, I often heard the typical judgements of older people like gays are plague to society, a girl will get raped if she wears revealing clothes, and so on. Well, maybe it's not their fault because most of the people in their generation were close-minded because of some norms.
#3 Don't over plan everything. Do the action instead.
Analysis paralysis is something that I sometimes struggle with. I love to plan things out on a detailed aspect and sometimes it is not okay anymore. Plan will be just a plan unless you take action.
#4 Don't keep on blaming others. Take accountability.
Sometimes when a problem arises, we get caught up to pointing fingers on others. But let’s not make it a cycle or a habit. If a problem arises, try to pause for a moment and reflect. Maybe you have your own fault also that you just can’t admit because of your ego or pride.
#5 It's better to be silent than to talk bullshit.
I have always or most of the time keep silent when there's a fight, when I am angry, or depending on the situation. It is not good to stay silent at all times, but if I know that I will just blurt out nonsense stuff, I would rather be silent. And that's better. Words are powerful, so let’s be careful or mindful on what we say.
#6 Nothing is wrong being single as a teen.
I made an article about this here: I Never Had a Boyfriend.
#7 Financial literacy is important.
Money is a taboo topic in most situations. Money is not everything. Money is only a tool. It is not evil nor good. It depends on the person who has it, whether to use the money in good deeds or an evil thing. I believe that being financially literate has so many advantages in bettering the future of oneself or the world maybe.
#8 Be with like-minded people
I have shared this favorite quote of mine several times already in my articles… “You become like the 5 people you spend the most time with. Choose carefully.” 😉
#9 I don't have to tell people everything about myself, my family, my goals, etc.
I am no celebrity. What people don't know, people can't ruin. Stay lowkey. Prioritize privacy.
#10 Work smart, not hard.
In this modern times, there are many alternatives already on how we can work more efficiently and not beat up ourselves on pulling all nighters. But I am aware that "work smart, not hard" may not be applicable to some situations. However, as much as possible and if we have the resources to this, why not, right?
#11 Consume social media responsibly.
Unfollow those that don't add value to myself. I am very picky when it comes to following accounts, especially on Instagram. I don't follow models or celebrities that much. Most of the people I follow are those that inspires me such as entrepreneurs/girl bosses, artists, architects or my fellow architecture students, traders, investors, and the likes.
#12 Never stop learning.
This information age, I can learn anything within just my fingertips through the internet. No excuses. Learn a new language, a new recipe, how to sew, how to drill, and other stuff. I will never stop learning until I get old. 👵
#13 Don't keep up with the trend. It will make you poor.
Well, if you are a multi-millionaire or someone who’s indeed very rich, go ahead. In my opinion, keeping up with the trend is very unnecessary and basically seems like just pleasing the society. It dries your pocket and is also very unsustainable for the environment.
#14 Go on adventures if there's a chance to.
If a family or friends or an event at school is going to have an outing, camp, road trips, etc. Say yes if you are comfortable with the people you will be with. Take advantage of the time that you are going to spend in making new memories and gaining new experiences. Later on, you will look back and thank yourself that you said yes to adventures with awesome people. #NoRegrets
#15 Our body always changes.
We need to accept it and be adaptable.
#16 It is in giving that we receive.
#17 People change.
#18 Nothing is impossible.
No matter how big my goals are, they can be reached by doing an action. As I do little actions to make progress in achieving my goals, and once I track them and see that I reached them or I am near to reaching them, I can't really help but be proud and amazed with myself. I say to myself, "wow! kaya ko pala 'to" (wow! I did it), "grabe akala ko imposible pero nagawa ko" (I thought it's imposible but I made it).
#19 Not everyone will understand you and that's okay.
#20 Growth means being uncomfortable.
I learned this one from Alivia D'Andrea on YouTube.
Staying inside our own bubble aka our comfort zone will not allow us to grow, stepping outside of it does.
Imagine if a person just Netflix and chill for many hours everyday for a month. After 30 days, he's just the same person as he was a month ago, or he can also be less than that. There's nothing wrong with watching Netflix or staying in your bubble, but if you happen to make it repetitive, you are not allowing yourself to grow. You are not allowing yourself to take on challenges that will help you upgrade your life.
Those are the 20 things I learned before I turned 20!
How about you, what is something that you learned before the age of 20? Let me know through the comment section.
Thanks for riding along with my list! 🥰
Special thanks to @FarmGirl and @JonicaBradley for renewing their sponsorships to me. I appreciate it a lot!
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Date Published: August 31, 2021
Learning things in our journey is a continous process which benefits us a lot.. I learned a lot from this also..and I thank you for those lessons you shared.