MARCH 3RD, 1998.
Today is my 20th birthday. I’m so blessed to see 2 decades. This is a huge milestone for me because I’m no longer a teenager anymore. I’m in the glorious years of twenties. I don’t feel much different, but it does feel like changes are coming. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about things that I’ve learned that are important to me so I figured I’d do my own take on some of my favorite videos of Jenna Marbles, where she talks about all the things she’s learned. Some are cliches and some are funny.
- Family is the most important thing in life. This took me a while to realize, but being in college makes you appreciate them a whole lot more. Yes, they are annoying but they will be there for you when no one else is. When I was younger I didn’t want my mom around when I was with friends or at the football game. Now I love the mornings when she wants to get breakfast with me before class.
- Paper towels and toilet paper are expensive. (This is where the importance of family comes in, you get to steal this stuff from home and take it back to your apartment.)
- Don’t listen to what other people say about you. Just do you. Most people in life will judge you and bring you down, but it’s only because they are jealous or have nothing better to talk about.
- Work hard, play hard.
- People will come and go. The people in your life are there for a reason. If people don’t want to stick around, don’t even think twice. They aren’t worth it.
- High School isn’t as important as you think it is. I didn’t have a great high school experience and those 4 years felt like forever, but now it doesn’t even matter. I got bullied, I wasn’t cool, I didn’t have a group of friends, all the teachers loved me, I was that girl. I had a great relationship with all the teachers and faculty. I also had really good grades so at least that part was good.
- Drink lots of water. It’s good for you and makes your skin glow. (lol)
- Don’t force things that aren’t meant to be.
- The most cliche of them all: everything happens for a reason. Everything down to making a wrong turn. You are where you are meant to be in every moment. Maybe I believe this too much, but it’s something that keeps me calm. A quick story that just solidifies this for me is what happened one day after work this past November. I work every Saturday so when I get there in the morning I deposit my paycheck on the mobile app for my bank. But one day after work I decided to go to the bank in the parking lot after my shift. After the bank I started driving back to my apartment and there was an accident that happened about 5 minutes before I drove past. For some reason I went into the bank which took about 5 minutes. This doesn’t mean that that would have been me, but it could have been. So when you forget to turn off the oven before work, don’t get too pissed off you have to go back and turn it off.
- Avocados are delicious. (this was a fairly recent discovery)
- Planners and journals aren’t just trendy, they actually save your life from being a hot mess.
- You’ll never be happy trying to please everyone else.
- Put yourself first. It doesn’t make you selfish, it just means you care about yourself and you should.
- Money, followers, likes, GPA, and all other numbers don’t define you. Numbers that the world makes up don’t make your heartbeat or your smile beautiful. The numbers just don’t matter. Your health and happiness do.
- Insomnia cookies ARE NOT overrated. I had them for the first time this year (my sophomore year of college) and yes they are amazing. I recommend the s’mores one.
- I’ve learned to appreciate the little things. Like when your favorite song comes on Spotify, or your Starbucks barista putting a smiley face on your cup just because. Or a warm cup of coffee on a rainy morning. Or a hot shower.
- Nothing compares to close friends. I’d rather have 3 amazing friends than 50 people who kinda-sorta care. The friends that matter are the ones that randomly text you saying they love you, the ones that never miss your birthday, the ones that know your favorite food, the ones that know why you are who you are.
- You can’t say I love you enough to your friends and family. Say it so much till you think you are being annoying. Never hang up the phone without saying it. Never leave without saying it. Say it as much as you think it.
- Never go to bed in a fight with your significant other, your mom, your siblings, your friends, anyone. Work that stuff out. Don’t sleep on it, that doesn’t work. Fight till 3am, time doesn’t matter. Do not go to bed.
- BE HAPPY. Life is way to short to be upset or angry. You only get to live every day once so make it the best. Yes, bad things happen, I’m not saying it’s not ok to not be ok. I’m saying that if something happens that you won’t remember in 3 years, don’t even think about it for 3 minutes.
So there are 20 things I’ve learned in 20 years. I hope it made you laugh or smile, and if not then go watch Jenna Marbles. (lol) I hope you’ve all been having a great weekend. Talk to you soon!
