30 Things I Would Tell My 18 Year Old Self

I was 18 almost 10 years ago.  Saying that out loud immediately makes me panic, feel like I can’t breath, and want to cry.  Not because I wish I was still 18.  Not because 30 is just around the corner.  But because I feel like it was just yesterday and time is flying by so fast.  A lot has happened in the last 9 years and yet a lot is still the same. I learned a lot of lessons the hard way.  I had a lot of revelations.  And I’ve done a lot of reflection. And from that reflection I’ve come up with a few things I wish I could go back tell my 18 year old self.

1.  It doesn’t matter what people think about you.  Some will like you, some won’t.  At the end of the day all that  really matters is what you think about yourself.
2.  You’ll have your heart broken and break other hearts, but it will all be fine.
3.  It’s fine that you don’t have it figured out yet.  You still won’t in the next 10 years.  What’s important is to at least keep trying.
4.  You’ll make mistakes.  A few really, really big ones.  But you’ll learn and eventually move on.  You’ll find  yourself dwelling on these mistakes from time to time, but remember the past is the past and you can’t change  it.
5.  You don’t know as much as you think you do.
6.  Read more.
7.  You’re the only one responsible for your happiness.  No one else and nothing can give it you.
8.  Listen to your intuition a little more.  It’s usually right.
9.  Don’t date anyone freshman year of college.  You’ll end up missing out on more than you’ll gain.
10.  Save money more but don’t stress about it — yet.
11.  Meet new people as often as you can.
12.  Quality is more important than quantity when it comes to friends.  You’ll realize you have some shitty friends.  And you’ll also realize you’ve taken some great ones for granted.
13.  Don’t be such a brat to your parents.
14.  Stop making excuses for yourself and other people.
15.  Be more open to change.  Allow people to come and go and your life to shift direction.  Don’t try so hard to  keep everything the way it is.
16.  Don’t date two people at once.  It’s a really bad idea and that karma will follow you around for the next 10  years. Trust me.
17.  Failing at one thing doesn’t mean you’re a failure.  Try again and try harder.
18.  Spend less time on social media comparing your life to everyone else’s. It’s all just #fakenews.
19.  Be conscious of what you’re sharing about your life and who you’re sharing it with.  Not everything needs to be  talked about.
20. Keep your priorities in check.
21.  Be less of an asshole in general.  You have no filter but sometimes you should think a little more before you  speak.
22.  Drink a little less and study a little more.
23.  Start focusing on healthy habits now and using an anti-aging cream.  A premature wrinkle will show up on  your forehead in a few years that will leave you devastated.
24.  Stop feeling sorry for yourself when things don’t go right.  This happens to everyone, you’re not the only one who goes through shitty things.  Deal with it.
25.  Learn how to take your own advice.
26.  Start learning about personal finance, now.
27.  Respect others and more importantly yourself.
28.  Figure out what makes you the happiest and do more of that.
29.  Keep trying new things.
30.  Forgive yourself for your mistakes and forgive others for theirs.