Cheers to 22 Years!

Before anything else, I would just like to greet myself with a

"Happy Happy 22nd Birthday, Florie Mae!" 🥂

I guess it's now time to steal Taylor Swift's line, "I don't know about you, But I'm feeling 22" because I'm not just feeling 22 right now but I'm literally 22 years old already. Well, it's just age and there's nothing special with that but I'm just happy and thankful about it because I already spent 22 years here on Earth.

It's just amazing that God has given me so much time to enjoy my life, live it to its fullest, and start achieving some of the goals and dreams I have set for myself, for my family, friends, and others as well. However, I know that God will still grant me more years and even decades to come for me to actually live the life I want, accomplish my plans and goals, and to make my dreams come true. I still have a purpose to live my life meaningfully.

Being 22, I actually feel a little pressured because it's as if I should start taking life seriously already as my decisions today will surely affect my life in the future. I should begin acting like a real adult, stop being immature and childish, and be cautious of my actions so that I won't become a disappointment to the people who believe in me. I should also embark on achieving my ultimate goals already to have a sense of fulfillment.

Others believe that "22" is one of the most crucial years in our life because this is now the time where we would feel too much tension, worries, and doubts about our future. Questions will begin to arise as we ask ourselves if we will be able to achieve our dreams at the time when we set them. It's also the period when we begin being confused about what we actually want to do with our lives and the kind of path we want to take.

However, 22 is still too young to be worrying about the future, but it's also not too early to start preparing for it.

Others will probably expect us not to commit mistakes anymore because we're already old enough to know what is right and what is not. But anyone can always commit mistakes because nobody is perfect and we're only humans who are bound to become flawed. However, this should not become the reason for us to keep committing mistakes and we should learn and apply every lesson we learn whenever we commit one.

In my 22 years of existence, I admit I have already committed a lot of mistakes that have created a negative impact not just on my life but also on those people who were affected by my actions. I was young, immature, and kept making actions that should not have been done but I can't do anything about them anymore but learn from them.

For 22 years, I am confident to say that I have already achieved something worth being proud of but I am still as dedicated as before to keep going in life and to keep pursuing what my heart desires. I have a lot of goals and dreams that I want to attain and they serve as my motivation to keep moving forward in life.

If there is one thing I have learned in my 22 years of living, it is to not be swayed by my past mistakes but to learn from them, and make them my stepping stone to become a better, if not the best, version of myself. I should not dwell in the past but focus on the present to acquire the best future I want.

It is also being deaf about the negative things other people keep talking about me. I have been constantly reminding myself that if people speak ill about me, they're probably bored with their life that they have nothing productive to do but gossip about my mistakes, make fun of my dreams, and belittle my capabilities.

It's been 22 years since I was born and I've come a long way already but I know that the journey is just about to begin and the real world is still waiting for me to unleash my fullest potential and to contribute something to the world. I can't promise not to be hard on myself about achieving my goals but one thing is for sure. I will continue dreaming big and keep working hard for my goals.

So cheers to 22 years and counting!