20 Things You Learn by 20-Something.

When you enter your 20's, you quickly realize that you are not all that far along in life. In fact, you realize that this is really just the beginning. Crazy right? High school WASN'T the end of your life, even though for some it may have felt that way, myself included. However, I am here to tell you that even though this may just be the start of becoming a functional adult, you will already have learned some valuable life lessons that you can carry with you for the rest of the years ahead.

1. You're not going to have it all figured out, and that's okay. There is an immense amount of pressure put on us in high school to figure out what your plans after graduation will be. Where will you go to college? Will you even go to college? What's your major? What, when, how? News flash ladies and gentlemen, I graduated and I still can barely decide what I want for breakfast. Let's not speak of it. Truth is, everyone figures it all out differently. Everyone grows at a different pace, we all want different things. There is NOTHING wrong with stepping back, taking a breather, and taking your time. There is no deadline for finding yourself.

2.Your plans are going to change, and that's also okay. Nothing is set in stone, so you might as well skip trying to have a concrete plan. You're going to change your mind maybe once, twice, or 40 times, but there is nothing wrong with that. When I was a freshman in high school, I wanted to go to the most prestigious university in my state and pursue a Master's Degree, maybe even a Doctorate. I wanted to be a psychologist with my own practice. When I was accepted into a college that was not the most renowned university, I was an elementary education major with a minor in special education. In between there I dabbled in arts, politics, and sciences. Fast forward to now, I'm not doing any of those. I'm not a psychologist with her own groundbreaking practice, now I'm just a girl who needs a psychologist and maybe a hug.

3. People are going to think they know your life better than you do, accept their opinions, but move forward.

There will always be people who think they know what's best for you, tell you what they think you should be doing, even find fault in your decisions. Accept and appreciate their thoughts and opinions, but move on and do what feels right to you anyway. No one knows you better than yourself.

4. You are going to learn that you need to slow down. When we were in elementary, middle, and high school, we couldn't wait to grow up. Adulthood seemed so exciting and freeing. Don't get me wrong, it definitely can be those things but stop rushing. Be present, time flies fast enough now as it is. Before you know it, you'll have snow white hair and wrinkly raisin skin wondering where the time has gone. Live your life as you wish, but take it day by day. Everything will happen when it is meant to, at the right time.

5. Quality of friends matter WAY more than quantity. Honestly this statement goes for anything in life but you need to remember that you can still feel alone being surrounded by an ocean of people and you can totally feel fulfilled being your own friend. Having one or two solid humans in your life, even if that is yourself and your mother, is a thousand times better than drowning in the presence of empty friendships.

6. It's okay to cancel plans or take a day for yourself. Listen to what you need. If you don't want to do something, then don't. If you need some alone time, take that alone time. I'm not saying to drop all responsibilities and call it quits for a whole week, but take whatever time you need/can and take care of yourself first. Sure, you could end up frustrating somebody by dipping on some plans but your well-being is more important than temporarily pleasing others.

7. Not everyone will mean what they say. Sometimes people will say things they don't mean, good and bad. Matter of fact, sometimes people will even make promises they don't mean. Point is, learn to take words with a grain of salt until proven otherwise. You will save yourself a ton of disappointment.

8. People will change, so will you. Nothing stays the same forever, that includes humans. You may click with someone so incredibly well, but a few months later you can't stand them. Chances are, people will feel that way about you at some point too. We're constantly evolving, you won't be the same person you were 3 years ago. Personal growth is natural and we all grow at a different pace, we aren't always going to be on the same page, embrace it.

9. People are going to leave you, sometimes there's nothing you can do about it. Does this suck? Absolutely, it hurts. Not everyone is meant to stay in our lives forever no matter how long they've been there. People come and go in our lives for a reason. Whether that is to teach you a lesson, for you to teach them something, or maybe just for you to discover things about yourself that you didn't know before. We grow with others and we also grow apart, you can not control that. There doesn't have to be any hard feelings about it either, we are all on our own individual journeys.

10. The most important relationship is the one you have with yourself. You are a priority, because at the end of every day, you have yourself. Do what you want, be what you want, love yourself endlessly. Be your own best friend, take yourself out. Go for a walk, see a movie, treat yourself to something special. Connecting with others is amazing, but there is a sense of wholeness when you're connected to yourself.

11. Your family really is just looking out for you. I know when we were in our teen years, it always seemed as if your family just adored shutting your plans down. How dare they tell you no, right? So then we would get angry and mumble about how they just don't get it, don't they want you to do anything? Chances are, that isn't the case at all. Your family always spots fake friends and not-so-great situations way before you do. You will thank them later for being hard on you.

12. It's okay to ask for help. Let me say this loud and clear, for the people in the back, you can NOT do everything yourself. You are one individual, you can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. Whatever it is, big or small, don't be afraid to admit you need a little assistance. Asking for help does not mean you are weak or a failure, it means you can still accomplish anything you put your mind to but some things just need an extra hand.

13. You're going to fail, more than once, and it actually isn't the end of the world. Some of the most successful human beings got rejected more times than you can count. They didn't wake up one day with the world in their hands. They have been rejected, laughed at, left with little to no money. What's the one thing they didn't do? Give up. Walt Disney's Company is worth well over a billion dollars, J.K. Rowling is one of the most well-known authors today, Steve Jobs was a college drop-out. Think about if they would have given up when they very easily could have, they would've never gotten to where they did.

14. Say "Thank you" more often. Show your appreciation, for everything. Just be thankful for life in general, you never know what could happen or when something could be taken away. You exist, that's enough to be extremely grateful for, don't be selfish. In the blink of an eye, your whole world could change. So laugh, smile, cry, hug someone, and say thank you.

15. Tell people how you feel, honestly. If something is bothering you, speak up. People aren't mind readers, just be honest and tell people how you really feel, I promise it will not kill you. Even if nothing is bothering you and you just want to share love with someone, do it. They will appreciate the openness and it feels so good afterwards. You are only doing more harm than good by keeping everything bottled up, your sanity will go down the drain a whole lot faster. Communicate always, it also saves you from a ton of misunderstandings, no one likes that.

16. It's okay to cut ties. That goes for friendships, romantic relationships, family, hobbies, anything. If something in your life is only emitting negativity and serving you no good purpose, it is okay to leave it. You only have one life, you don't get a second chance, live it for you. When you find yourself becoming miserable because these aspects of life are feeling more like a chore than a safe space, you are living for them instead.

17. You are what you surround yourself with. You become your thoughts. If all you fill your mind with is negativity, that is all you will become and receive. Your environment and who you surround yourself with can impact you way more than you may realize. When you change your surroundings and shift your mindset, it becomes your reality.

18. A lot of things happen for a reason, even if you don't know the reason yet. There are always going to be things that happen to us that make us wonder why they had to happen, what was the point? I'm not saying that absolutely everything happens for a reason. Dumping your Chinese takeout on the floor wasn't a sign from the universe. However, the majority of the time, there is a lesson to be learned. One day it will all make sense, and one day you'll be glad that everything happened the way it did. Be patient, stop questioning everything.

19. Don't stay angry. What do you get out of staying angry? Nothing, besides a bad mood that sucks anyway and then you'll sulk about being in a bad mood. Everyone gets irritated, that's unavoidable. You're going to get mad at your friends, family, yourself, and even at objects that are incapable of doing anything anyway. Talk it out, laugh it off, cry, scream, do whatever you need to do. All in all, just get over it. Life goes on whether or not you want to slam your head into a wall. Staying angry doesn't solve anything but can ruin everything.

20. Admit when you are wrong. Stop being stubborn, okay? Admit it, you're wrong sometimes. You're not perfect, nobody is. You're going to mess up, a lot. Just take the blame when it belongs to you and grow from it, you'll learn something along the way. Personally, I think owning up to your mistakes is admirable, do it.

There we have it, 20 things you will or perhaps already have learned by the age of 20-something. See? Isn't is fascinating how much you can learn in truly just a small portion of life? We are always learning, changing, growing. Don't run from it, accept and embrace it like no tomorrow. This is just the beginning of becoming your greatest self.