Twenty lessons learned in 20 years of life

Published on by Arabella

Well looks like I’m officially an adult now huh?

For those of you who didn’t know, I had my 20th birthday a week and a bit back. I had a lovely day and made some grate memories surrounded by family. I didn’t mind being 19 too much because I could technically still call myself a teenager. But at 20 I’m apparently now 100% an adult… not sure how I feel about that. I hardly feel like a grown up and in my head I’m stuck at 17 still but I guess that’s normal.

It’s been over a week since I hit 20, so this post is a little late, but today I’d like to share with you twenty lessons that I’ve learned in twenty years of living.

  1.  It’s not a race, we’re all growing and changing at different paces. Every person is on a journey and each journey is unique.
  2. Don’t go to bed angry. If possible try your upmost hardest to resolve a conflict before you go to sleep.
  3. You are allowed to treat yourself.
  4. Add milk to your hot chocolate to maximizes flavor (try it… you’ll thank me later) and if you don’t have enough milk then make it with boiling water and add a splash of cold milk in at the end.
  5. People get offended when you leave the tea bag in the cup and add the milk with the bag still in, try to avoid doing it.
  6. Keep a gratitude and prayer journal to keep track of all the things to be thankful for and answers to prayer.
  7. You are allowed to say no.
  8. Make your Yorkshire pudding from scratch, it works out cheaper than store brought and they are bigger and is far more yummy.
  9. Not everyone has to agree with you.
  10. Mens t-shirts are more comfortable than females and look better fit wise.
  11. Never be ashamed to go on medication for your metal health. If you had an infection you would take antibiotics to help you, your mental health is no different.
  12. Have a sad days playlist on hand, full of music that gets you moving and lift your mood a little for bad days.
  13. Speaking of music… invest in a good pair of headphones.
  14. Your health is more important that school, college or work. You can retake exams but you can’t retake your life. Try your hardest yes, but your physical and mental health is important.
  15. Wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself. Don’t feel like you have to follow fashion trends, especially if they’ll make you feel uncomfortable and take away from your originality.
  16. Aim to make one person smile everyday and it’s ok if that one person is yourself.
  17. Try to avoid reading your bible and spending time with God at the end of the day when you’re in bed if you’re like me and get tired very quickly. It might be better if you do the harder thing and take some time out of your morning to do it as you’re more awake and it’ll set you up for the day.
  18. Going to God shouldn’t be plan B. I’m still learning this one but going to God should be plan A.
  19. Keep lip balm in arms reach, it’s useful stuff.
  20. Don’t live life in bubble wrap. Be sensible but don’t let anxiety get in the way of you living. Make mistakes, do spontaneous things, challenge yourself and don’t hide from the world thinking it will only hurt you.

So there we are, a fun little post of what I’ve taken in during my twenty years on this planet. I’m feeling positive and open to my future and what God has planed for me. I hope I never stop learning and challenging myself as a person.

How about you, what’s a life lesson you’ve learned? Let me know in the comments bellow.

Till next time guys, be kind to yourselves.

9 thoughts on “Twenty lessons learned in 20 years of life”

  2. This. All of this.

    I’ve been around quite a bit longer than you, and I’m still learning a lot of life lessons. Let’s see…

    It’s ok to take yourself to a movie or to dinner.
    Don’t be afraid or embarrassed to welcome someone who feels on the outside into your social circle (although I’ve learned that lesson more as the recipient).
    When you’re feeling lost in a new city, a large university, a large church, etc., the first thing to do is find a niche.
    If you see a water stain on the roof, do something about it right away. And get a second opinion about where the water is coming from.
    Astrological signs don’t mean anything, except for one thing: Leos shouldn’t become romantically involved with other Leos.
    Be yourself.

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      1. Yes… I went to a very large university a three hour drive from home at age 18 right out of high school. For my first year, I was in a special program where everyone in this program lived together, and we had to take one class each term that was only open to students in this program. (This is what DLTDGB is about, remember.) And it was through some of those students that I got involved in church groups starting with my second year, and late in my third year I started volunteering as a church youth group leader, which gave me connections in town beyond just the university. Some of these people I’m still in touch with today, 20+ years later.

        My mom likes to tell a story about the first time they came to visit me there. There was a family preview day kind of event for prospective students who were selected to be part of this program, and former students who had been in that program spoke about what it was like. Someone there said that former students had made lifelong friendships in that program, and a few of them ended up married to each other. (I went to two weddings in which both the bride and groom were in that program with me.) Mom was used to me keeping to myself and not having a lot of friends. The first time they came to see me at school, I was walking around with them, showing them things, and when we got back to the dorm, a guy sitting on the balcony waved and said, “Hey, [my first name]!” I said, “These are my mom and dad. Mom and Dad, this is Jeff.” And Mom told me years later that her first thought was, I wonder if Jeff is going to be one of those lifelong friends that [my first name] is going to make in this program? And she was right. I’ve consistently been friends with Jeff ever since, although we don’t live too close anymore so I only actually see him once a year.

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