2o Lessons Life Taught Me

In twenty years, I’ve laughed, cried, danced, been broken, stuck, lost, confused, and experienced things I can't even begin to name. Through it all, I grew and I learned. I don’t have it all figured out, and I’ve most definitely not seen it all, but here are twenty things I’ve learnt in my short years.

1. Love is a mystery; you never really figure it out

2. It’s okay to be sad. What matters is you not drowning in it

3. Life comes at you when you least expect it. You think you have it all figured out until life does its thing.

4. Time won’t stop for you, life won’t either. So, stop sitting around and waiting for something big to happen. Get up and make it happen!!!!

5. Speak up for yourself and dangerously own your truth.

6. Save the “sorry” for when you’re actually wrong. Don’t apologize for every little thing, it’ll only make people walk over you.

7. Put yourself first, and not in a selfish manner. Because, no one will do that for you.

8. If you are not being treated right, LEAVE. Do not gaslight yourself into thinking that people will change, because they only will if they want to and not because of what you will do for/to them.

9. Never settle.

10. Do not base your worth off of what someone says or does, and always have it in mind that you are more than enough.

11. Do not force relationships. When you see they don’t need you, remove yourself from the equation.

12. Don’t give up without even trying. When you fail, you just learnt how to not do what you’re trying to get done.

13. You are not difficult to love, you are not hard to understand. You’ve just not found the one that can understand even when you can’t explain.

14. No one owes you anything. If you live with that mindset, you’ll be met with less disappointments.

15. Be kind to yourself. Life sucks a lot less when you are kind to yourself and even to others.

16. While happiness results from what happens around you, Joy stems from within you, so try all you can to let nothing steal your joy.

17. Whatever experiences you had and whatever happened to you wasn’t your fault, so don’t hold a grudge against yourself. Forgiving yourself is the first step to healing.

18. Be the change you want to see; it all starts with you.

19. Cut yourself some slack. Do not be too hard on yourself and other people because just like you, this is also their first time living life.

20. It’s okay to make mistakes, just don’t get stuck on those mistakes. See them as stepping stone for the next move or level.

With the rising pressure on young people today to do certain things and act a certain way, some of these lessons have slowed me down. On days when I tend to be hard on myself, I’m reminded to go easy and take a rest if needed. Other times, I remind myself to focus on the good no matter how insignificant they might seem.

This is to that girl who is struggling and still figuring life out, this is to that guy who has the pressure of friends and family on their shoulders, this is to that student who is drowning in school work and feels behind, this is to that single mom or dad who is pushing themselves too hard, you are not alone in this and these are Notes from my Heart to yours 😊