20 Things I Learnt Before I Turned 20

As of tomorrow I’m saying goodbye to my teen years. Good riddance. I can’t wait to become a full fledged adult. I know there’ll be hardships along the way but this is when I truly feel like my life is starting. Nevertheless, I thought I’d take a look back at all of the things I’ve learned over the past 20 years. Hopefully this might be helpful to someone!

1.Happiness is important

I have to make this number one on the list. My 19th year has been a bit of a hard one in terms of happiness. I’ve had some struggles that made it difficult for me to feel anything but sadness, however, I feel like I’ve improved by a massive degree recently. After quitting the toxic situations I was in and cutting out the things I was doing that made me feel toxic, I’ve discovered a new lease on life. I don’t have to be sad. I can choose happiness. And from now on I will.

2. Live your life while you can

I’m really taking this to heart this year. I finally have a year where I don’t have to do homework or really, anything I don’t want to do. Instead, I’m taking the time to do what I really want to do, like blogging and photography. I might try and learn a language and get better at playing the ukulele. And even when I do have real life obligations I want to carry these on. I don’t want to be an old woman in my rocking chair wishing I’d done more with my life. I’m going to do things and live my life like I always wanted to.

3. University is not the be-all and end-all

The majority of my year being 19 I spent at university. I absolutely loved first term but slowly began to realise that I hated where I lived and ultimately I hated my course. That’s not really a good start when it comes to actually staying in uni. Anyway, I decided to drop out at the end of the year and take a gap year. It always seems pushed on us that we should go to university, get a degree, and get a job. But that’s not always the right option for everybody. I’ve witnessed people my age become successful through getting jobs and not going to uni. Believe me, if you don’t want to go right now or at all, university is not the be-all and end-all of life.

4. Blogging is a great way to express yourself

I started this blog two weeks into August and, while that’s not such a long time, I’m absolutely in love with it. In the past, whenever I had a thought I’d write it down on a notepad or on my computer but never actually do anything with it. I was always terrible at keeping diaries or anything like that but when I found blogging I felt that it fit perfectly. I’ve met so many amazing people and I’m 100% happier than I was now that I’m able to express myself and my ideas. It really makes me feel as if I’m doing something important.

5. Friends can be the greatest part of your life

Since coming home from university, I’ve reconnected with a lot of my old friends, and I’m so glad I did. They’re all so wonderful that I’m sad I’ve missed a year of spending time with them. We go for drives, we listen to music, we go out and party. We also get to talk about the important things. My friends have been a huge support for me over the last few months and I couldn’t imagine myself being where I am without them.

6. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness

I used to think that if I raised my hand and asked for help with anything, that made me weak. It’s over this past year that I’ve changed this point of view. I felt like I was in trouble so I asked for help and ultimately I am much better. How can you expect anything to change if you’re not willing to let anyone help you along? As much as I love being independent, not everything can be achieved alone.

7. Keep going even when you’re sick

This is a bit of a weird one but a good tip for those party animals out there. One thing I’ve discovered I can do, besides down a pint in 5 seconds, is keep going on a night out, even after I’ve, what my friends call, ‘chundered’. I’m not sure what it is but if you’re feeling a bit off just take a trip somewhere quiet, let it all out, and you’ll be ready to party the night away. Maybe no more shots for the rest of the night though.

8. Take inspiration from those around you

When I was growing up I always thought that I should have an idol, a celebrity I could look up to and follow religiously. At this point I’ve realised I don’t need that. Obviously I can become my own inspiration but I also think I take a lot of my inspiration from those around me, like my friends, my mum, my dad, my brother. They’re all amazing people with completely individual lives doing the things they love and I love to follow them.

9. It doesn’t matter what others think

This is one I’ve struggled with my entire life. I feel like I’ve finally come to a point in my life where I genuinely don’t care what people think of me. Why should I? Even if it’s someone you’re probably going to see again, when you’re doing something you love then the only thing that matters is you. It’s only by focusing on what others think that we lose sight of who we are. Do what you want, who cares?

10. Spending time with family is important

I love my family. It’s only since I’ve been back from university that I’ve realised I need to spend more time with them while I can. We used to Skype all of the time but nothing beats family, film and fun night on Fridays. I know a lot of people don’t always get along with their families but sometimes we just have to realise that we only have a finite amount of time on this earth and we should spend it with the ones we love.

11. Travel as much as you possibly can

I always loved travelling. I think I’ve been to 13 countries overall and I cannot wait to visit more. It’s not even just going on holiday though, as I love just travelling around the country or even just places in my area. There is so much beauty in the world to discover that can only be done if you actually get out there and travel. I’m having major wanderlust right now just writing this post!

12. Read everything

I am a massive reader and I always have been. Being at uni made it difficult to find time to read everything I wanted to but being at uni in an old city meant lots of bookshops. I have a massive collection on my bookshelf right now that I can’t wait to read, it’s just trying to find the time and let’s be honest, the motivation to read them. The last book I read was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon and I totally loved it. I should definitely read more than I do and now that I might finally have the time, I plan to spend most of my 20s reading!

13. Be kind to everyone

Positivity is so so so important. I strongly believe in being kind to yourself. After all, you are number one. But it’s always good to be kind to others. There’s no better feeling that making someone else smile. Pay someone a compliment, give your friend a gift, send a supportive message. We all just want to spread the positivity. If we do, the world might become just a little bit brighter.

14. Act like a child when you can

There have been so many moments just over the past couple of months that I’ve felt unbelievable happiness doing things children do. A friend and I went for a walk and we ended up on the swings and going down the slides for an hour. Life’s way too short to be a serious adult all the time so why not grab the chance whilst you can to play and be carefree again?

15. Don’t mix vodka and shots

Oops, another drinking one. I’m really not a hard partier but when I’ve had a couple of Bulmers’ I get a bit experimental with my drinks. One of my latest concoctions is Vodka and Sourz shots. Don’t do it. And definitely don’t mix Cactus Jacks in with it as well. You just end up feeling wobbly all night and may not even make it out for pre drinks. It’s really not worth it.

16. Explore different genres of music

I’ve rediscovered my love of Spotify this year. When I listened to music before, I’d only ever listen to the genre or artist that I was into at the time. That just makes life super boring. Now I love to discover whole new genres of music and brand new artists through the different playlists on Spotify but also from things you hear when you’re out an about, for example when you’re in a shop and they’re playing a song you like. Shazam it right there and then. That’s what I do anyway.

17. Spread the love online

I’ve been on the internet a while. I’ve read the hateful YouTube comments and seen the offensive tweets. If there’s one thing the internet needs, it’s more love. That’s why I’m trying to spread as much love to people as possible, especially to those in the blogging community. We all need to feel a little love every now and then, so why not do it over the internet? Maybe you don’t know people very well but one way to get to know them is to spread some love. It doesn’t hurt you and just might make someone’s day.

18. Surround yourself with flowers

It was only when I was redecorating my room that I realised how much I love flowers. Counting in my room right now I have 6 vases of fake flowers. Obviously I much prefer the real ones but sadly they just don’t last as long as I’d hope. I just think they brighten up a room and give you something lovely to look at. I believe in surrounding yourself with the things you love and I don’t see why that can’t be flowers, even if they are fake.

19. Don’t become too obsessed with coffee – it’ll drain your bank account

I honestly have no idea how much I’ve spent on coffee this year. I have to blame my exams on this as that’s when I had my first latte trying to stay awake in the library revising. Since then I’ve become obsessed with Costa and Starbucks. Whilst I love their drinks, when you have one pretty much everyday they get a bit pricey so I’d definitely recommend buying your own to make at home. They may not taste as good but it’ll probably save your bank account some heartache.

20. You can’t step in the same river twice – Heraclitus

Change is inevitable. There’s nothing we can do to stop time (yet) and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt this year, it’s that we have to accept what’s happened and move on. We cannot go back and do things differently so there’s really no point worrying ourselves too much over past actions or mistakes. As I’ve said before, life is way too short.

So there are 20 things I’ve learnt before I turned 20. I hope this list was helpful to you in some way!

All I can say now is bring on my 20s!