20 Life Lessons For 20 Years of Life

In honor of my twentieth birthday this past Monday, I put together a list of twenty things I have learned in my twenty years of life. I really want to elaborate on some of them and make specific posts where I can go into greater detail on my advice for those specific topics, so those posts will be coming soon!

one ///// self-care is so important

A lot of times we get so caught up in our day to day lives, but we always need to remember to take a step back and take care of ourselves. Just forget about everything it is that you need to get done and make a cup of hot tea, take a bath, read a good book, whatever it is you love to do that will relax you and help take at least some of your stress and anxiety away. You won’t be able to perform 100% on those things you need to get done if you’re so stressed about everything else you have on your to-do list.

two ///// don’t stress the small stuff

            If what you’re worried about isn’t going to matter to you in one year, or even a few years, then just stop worrying about it. It’s really that simple. Nobody is going to care what you wore to your senior prom five years from now, so stop stressing so hard over it. A lot of times we dwell on something for so long that truly just doesn’t matter when we could be spending that time doing something more productive or enjoyable.

three ///// don’t stress the things you have no control over either

            There are just some things in life that no matter how hard we try, we just can’t control. So, we need to just stop trying all together in those situations because it’s only stressing us out for nothing. Just give it all to God because He is the only One who can change it.

four ///// make your fitness and health a priority

            A lot of people think, “I’m just going to die anyway, so what’s the point of being healthy?” Your health is still very important, not only to you, but also to the ones you love. You’ll be able to do more, enjoy life’s adventures more, and (God-willing) live longer.

five ///// but don’t be too serious about your fitness and workouts

            Working out is good for you and your body, but too much of it isn’t. If you need a break or really just do not want to go to the gym, then don’t. Don’t hate yourself for missing one workout. Or a couple workouts for that matter.

six ///// eat the cupcake

            Like working out, eating healthy is a very good thing for your body. The food you consume is the fuel your body needs to do its thing. But don’t take your “diets” so seriously that you never let yourself enjoy what you’re eating. If you really want a cupcake, eat one; If you really want a pizza, eat it. But eat it all in moderation. Don’t go eating a whole pizza every day of the week.

seven ///// know how to budget your money

            This is something I think they should teach more of in high school because it is such an essential part of being an adult and surviving when you’re on your own. I’m still trying to figure this one out (I love to shop!!), but if you don’t know how to budget and save, then you will eventually not have enough money for the necessities. This may seem obvious and like a simple thing to do, but there are so many people (myself included) who struggle with this.

eight ///// breakups hurt, and you may feel like you’ll never get over it, but you will

            Trust me, I know the feeling all too well. Losing the person I loved and thought I was going to marry one day was one of the hardest things I’ve been through in my life. But I eventually got over that sadness and have come out as a better and stronger person because of it. A day will come when you realize you haven’t cried for a couple days, and another day down the road will come when you realize you haven't cried in a couple weeks. It’s a slow process, but trust me, there is a light at the end of that long and dark tunnel.

nine ///// let your emotions out

            This is something I really struggle with and really want to work on. You’re not weak if you cry after your heart has been broken. Take that time to wallow. It’s an important step in the healing process. Let out your frustrations with whoever made you mad. It’s important to not let all your anger well up inside of you because it will, inevitably, all come out one day, and if it all comes out at once, it won’t be pretty.

ten ///// appreciate the little things and small moments in life

            These are the moments you remember when you’re older and look back at your life.

eleven ///// never take anyone for granted

            You never know when your last hug or conversation with someone will be, so never take any moment or time with someone you love for granted.

twelve ///// there is no greater joy than loving and serving others

            Whether they’re your friends or family, a homeless woman you pass on your way to work every day, or a group of families and children in Uganda, loving and serving others is the most important thing in life. The greatest commandment Jesus gave us during His ministry here on Earth was, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And the next one came as a close second, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus calls us to not only love others, but to love others in a way that we want to be loved.

thirteen ///// recycle

            This is probably my most simple and straight-forward piece of advice. I’m no environmentalist, but just by seeing how much I alone recycle in one day, I think the ocean’s plastic problem could dramatically decrease if everyone started to do it.

fourteen ///// do what you want to do with your life, not what someone else wants you to do

            It’s so easy to base what you want to do in life on other people’s opinions, but don’t. If you want to go to college, then go to college and study what you want to study, not what your friends think is cool to study. If you don’t want to go to college then don’t go just because it’s the “norm” in society.

fifteen ///// don’t let society change your views and opinions on things

            The only views we should conform to are those of Christ, because they are the one and only Truth. We shouldn’t be looking to our favorite celebrities to figure out where we stand on political and societal issues, we should be looking to the Bible to see which stance aligns with the teachings of Jesus Christ.

sixteen ///// you’re in the season of life you’re in for a reason, don’t try to rush it

            If you’re in college, don’t keep wishing that you were graduated and starting your career. If you’re single, don’t keep wishing you were married. If you’re married, don’t keep wishing you had kids. Stay in the season God has you in, and He will take you into the next one when you are fully prepared and ready. One of my favorite songs is “Seasons” by Hillsong United, and two of my favorite lines are, “If all I know of harvest is that it's worth my patience, then if You're not done working, God I'm not done waiting,” and “For all I know of seasons is that You take Your time, You could have saved us in a second, instead You sent a child.” God’s ultimate plan takes time and if we’re too worried about moving on to the next “better” season of our life, we could potentially hinder His plan. We need to take a step back and trust that His will is better than our own.

seventeen ///// drink a lot of water

            This is also a very basic and simple piece of advice, but it’s so important and easy to not do it. Water is so essential for your health and your beauty. It keeps headaches away, keeps your skin clear and hydrated, and helps give you that energy you need to live your life.

eighteen ///// take risks and adventures

            I’m terrified of heights. And when I say terrified, I mean I can’t even look outside of a glass elevator that is going up to the fourth floor of a hotel. But some of my best memories are of times that I did things that involved great heights. If I stayed down on land and refused to go up because I was scared, I wouldn’t have those memories. This can apply to any fear in life, not just the fear of heights. Take risks and chances because great things will come of it.

nineteen ///// you are bigger than your failures and imperfections

            Failures are a part of life. There is not one human who has lived on this Earth that was perfect other than Jesus. Our imperfections are the reason He gave His life up on that cross. We need to own our failures and imperfections and forgive and love ourselves despite them because we are worthy and perfect in the eyes of our loving Savior. When you run to Him, He will fill you with a Love you can’t imagine and cover you with an amount of Grace you’ll never fathom. And every time He looks at you, He will see His beautiful Creation, not any of your past failures or current imperfections.

twenty ///// relationships require sacrificing and compromising, but they should go both ways

            If there are constant sacrifices and compromises being made in your relationship than you should probably rethink it. But even in great relationships between people who have all the same hopes and dreams in life, there are going to be some things you don’t agree on, or things are going to happen that one of you isn’t super excited to do. You need to work those situations out, and they may involve someone having to compromise, but it shouldn’t always be the same person doing the compromising whenever a situation comes to light. I wrote a post a while back about this topic (here).