What have I learnt after 24 years on this planet?

Happy Birthday to me 🥳 24 today! So after 24 years on this planet, I’m far from knowing it all (if anyone ever does). BUT, I have learnt a few things during my time here, especially in later years. So I’m going to be imparting some birthday wisdom on you lovely lot…

• Only you can define your own happiness and you shouldn’t rely on anyone else for it. At the end of the day, the only constant you can guarantee in your life is you. It’s great to be surrounded by people that make you feel great, but you are going to be the main source of your own happiness. This can stem from how you look at life, to how you react to what it throws at you. Try and remind yourself you are the boss and you can live your best life.

 

• Nothing lasts forever, so appreciate what you have and don’t take anything for granted. Every great thing in my life that has left me grinning from ear to hear, has ultimately ended. Be it my time at university, a relationship or just a great holiday. I don’t mean this as a solum, depressing point, but just as a reminder to appreciate the things that make you smile whilst they’re right in front of you. It’s very easy to be desperate to move onto the next stage in life, but we need to take time to appreciate what we currently have around us.

 

• Pain doesn’t last forever. Similar to the point above, nothing lasts forever, including pain. It will get better. The more pain you go through, the more you can see that it does get better eventually, you just have a period of time where you feel like absolute, utter CRAP. For a while. But that feeling will fade, it may take weeks, months, years, but you will feel better. It may not ever entirely go away, it may always be there lingering, but it won’t hurt as much as it does right now.

 

• Being kind takes seconds and it can make such a difference. We all cling onto the negative comments we receive, but those who give us kind comments can warm out hearts so much. Complementing someone on an outfit or something they said, can really go a long way. You never know what valuable connections you will make by just being kind to someone.

 

• Don’t listen to what people say if they’re not your people. Let’s not throw your friends and family out of the window if they disagree with you. But if someone who has never been your friend, or is just plain ignorant, is a dick to you, just don’t listen. Easier said than done sure, but you will feel 100x better if you learn not to cling on to the negative comments and actions of others. You are your own person and you can rock that however you like, be it weird and wacky or quiet and under the covers.

 

• It’s okay not to drink a lot of alcohol. I’ve been around people who have pressured me to drink, who have questioned it when I have one or two, but no more and people who have accepted the decision as my own to make. What all of this has taught me is that the choice to drink alcohol is entirely down to me. I will not and have not bowed to peer pressure and retain the right that I choose what decisions I make when it comes to my body. I recently talked about this in a blog post about why I don’t like to get drunk.

 

• Love your body whilst it’s young because it won’t stay this way forever. I know I’m still young and look it, but even now I certainly look back on old photos and wish I still had that body. What I’m trying to get my head around more is that actually I’ll probably look back on 24 year old me and be jealous, so why not appreciate it now. We only have one body, we need to love and appreciate it for all the things it does for us!

• Don’t waste time on things or people that don’t bring you joy. This goes to anything from not being afraid to put down a book you aren’t enjoying, to accepting relationships are over when they’re over. It doesn’t do to dwell on things we have no control over or aren’t enjoying. The best practice is to make the most of every second of your life and move on if you’re not at your most happy point.

 

• You can do anything, and that is a had thing to get your head around. I still don’t quite believe it. I think at 24 I’m trained in Film and Marketing because of University and my career path, so how could I ever do anything differently? But the answer is, I’m 24. I can retrain, I can go anywhere and do anything. My imagination and willingness are the only things possibly holding me back.

So there’s a handful of things I’ve learnt in my 24 years. I think what I’m just about coming to terms with, is that everything happens very fast, it can change in an instant, so do the things you want to do. Don’t waste your life. Get up and live it the best way you can, which is what I will try to do as I turn 24.