33 Things I Learned Before 33
In honor of my 33rd birthday, otherwise known as the "Christ Year”, and the fact that 33 is my favorite number, it felt appropriate to reflect on some important things I’ve learned in life thus far. Here are 33 of them.
1. A relationship should bring out the best in you, not the worst. If you spend more time upset than happy in a relationship, then it’s probably the wrong one. Just because two people are good people, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re good for each other.
2. Be smart about what you tell others. Information is like a weapon, you never know how it can be used against you.
3. Mistakes are inevitable. No matter how hard you try to avoid mistakes, you will f*ck up. Mistakes are how you learn.
4. Enjoy your own company. Alone and lonely are two different things. Don’t be afraid to do things by yourself.
5. Logic doesn’t always f*cking work. The more you over-analyze something, the more logic will work against you.
6. Learn to delete people. If you can’t immediately delete someone from your head or your heart, then at least delete them from Social Media - especially if your self-control is limited.
7. Save money. Put away a little bit of money each week. It adds up. And if you don’t know how to invest, learn from someone who does.
8. Don’t take everything so personally. Everything isn’t always about you. You never know what someone is dealing with so don’t jump to conclusions.
9. Sometimes it’s better to take the high road. It’s normal to want to have the final word or defend yourself at times. But ya know what, sometimes it’s better to do nothing rather than seek revenge or start a fight.
10. Airplane mode is a saving grace. Use it more often. It gives you time to think (or not think), depending on your mood.
11. Love is a verb. A lot of people misuse the word love. True love sometimes means putting someone else's needs before your own or doing things you don’t want to.
12. Have faith that everything is unfolding exactly as it should. It’s completely normal to look back on an event and say “What if?” But rest assured that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be.
13. Never let others tell you how you should feel. There’s nothing I hate more than someone telling me what I should feel. You can’t control your feelings! You can only control what you do about them.
14. There are some things in life you will never know the “why” part to. I think we truly have trained oursevles to believe that if we know what the reason is for something, we’ll feel better. Usually, this isn't the case. It's much more important to embrace acceptance.
15. You can’t please everyone. There is always going to be someone that disagrees with something you do or say, so why not please yourself! Decide what it is that makes you happy and lead with that.
16. People are judgey AF. But honestly, who cares what others think?
17. Let go of people and things that aren’t meant for you. Letting go can be very hard, especially when it’s something we’ve invested time, energy and desire into. But some things in life are a negative return on investment. Learn to discern.
18. Don’t try to figure out someone else. It’s a much better use of your time to understand yourself instead.
19. Not everyone is going to like you. And that’s OK. Someone doesn’t like you? BIG DEAL. You don’t have to be cool with everyone. However, you should always be cordial when you cross paths with someone you dislike. It’s not being fake, it’s having class.
20. Trust your intuition. Don’t discount your gut feelings about something. The good or bad vibrations you get about someone or something happen for a reason. Go with it.
21. Anytime a situation doesn’t end in your favor, ask yourself "What went right?" When things don’t go the way we want, we tend to blame ourselves or someone else. Instead of focusing on the bad, try to focus on what worked and what you will do differently next time.
22. Worry is a useless emotion. There’s no sense in putting energy into what you don’t want to happen. Not to mention, some things are beyond your control.
23. Sometimes life doesn’t make sense. Period.
24. Experiences > Possessions. Sure it’s nice to have nice things. But some of the best memories in my life came from traveling, and living in different cities around the world.
25. Accept the fact that you aren’t perfect. Quick tip for happiness? Stop comparing yourself to others. Fact: There is always going to be someone you wish you looked like or could be more like. Reality: Appreciate your strengths and strive for self-acceptance.
26. Be present. If you spend all of your time thinking about the past or the future, then you miss what’s right in front of you.
27. Develop social skills and a thick skin. Working in bars and restaurants taught me more about humanity than I could ever learn from a book. I've seen the best of mankind and the absolute worst and effectively learned how to deal with both. Never judge a book by it's cover.
28. Take care of yourself. Health really is wealth. Workout often, wear sunscreen everyday and make healthy choices. But don’t forget to treat yo’ self.
29. A relationship will never work if your top three emotional needs are not met. Figure out what’s important to you. Relationships are like a tripod. If one leg breaks, the whole thing topples over.
30. Show appreciation more often. It’s easy to discount the things others do for us. Practice gratitude daily.
31. Spend a lot of time around loved ones. These are the people that are there for you for the good times AND the bad times. I’m blessed to have an amazing and loving family and a top-notch circle of best friends that've got my back no matter what. <3
32. Write down the things you want. Tony Robbins is 100% right about this one. Instead of focusing on what you don’t want, write down everything you do want. And write it in detail. When you focus on what you want, you will get more of it.
33. If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. My mom always used to tell me this when I was young. 33 years later, I finally know what she means.