10 Things I Learned Before I Turned 25

It feels like I’ve been counting down to 25 ever since I turned 19, and today is the day I’ve been waiting for. Surprisingly, a lot of the life lessons I have learned happened to be in my 24th year. Better late than never, right? I thought I would share my experiences with you here’s what I’ve learned in my 25 years: 1. Don’t compare yourself to others I feel like this is common sense, but there have been times that I’ve forgotten this, and I’ve been so hard on myself because I was looking at what others had accomplished and what they were doing. When I I compared myself to others I distracted myself from seeing how I could grow and improve my life 2. Set yourself up to succeed I learned this lesson extremely late, and I used to wonder why things didn’t work out the way I wanted to. Give yourself as many options and opportunities to succeed, often we throw away our good fortune. If you shut more doors than you open, you’ll likely confine yourself to one space. 3. All good things in due time This is directly related to the previous point – once you’ve set yourself on the path to success by creating and taking advantage of opportunities you must also allow things to follow their trajectory (this is something I learned from my ex-boyfriend). We’re sometimes impatient for the fruits of our labour, but there’s no need to rush the outcome. That being said don’t take your sweet ass time if you don’t have to! 4. Surround yourself with people who will inspire growth It is good having friends you can laugh with, eat with, and party with, but you also need friends who will encourage you, challenge you and support you. When you are around people who want to be successful, you too will want some success for yourself. For me, stimulating conversation resonates much deeper than gossip. 5. You cannot build without a foundation I was all over the place after I graduated high school so now, six years later I’m back in post-secondary. When I went to college at 18, I didn’t really know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, I just knew I needed I career. Presently I know the what, I don’t know all of the how, but because I know the direction I want to go in, it will be easier for me to get there. 6. Network It is SUPER IMPORTANT. It really is about who you know, so please don’t brush off those Linkedin invitations. Meet as many people and make a good, lasting impression, It matters 7.Perseverance is as rewarding as they make it sound. Don’t give up just because things are looking bleak. You never know when your life is going to change for the better, but if you aren’t working towards making it happen, then it will never happen. Pretty simple, right? 8. Learn to let go At the same time allowing things to end when they’re supposed to is equally important. Let go of bad relationships, toxic friendships, and holding grudges. None of these things help you to move forward; it’s all baggage, and it weighs you down. 9. Appreciate the little things Celebrate your success: paying off your credit card, acing a test, falling in love, the employee of the month- whatever it is that made your day you should be praised. It will make you appreciate your existence and will help you to conquer the next milestone with ease. 10. Live a positive life Try to be a better person, for yourself and to yourself. This was something I struggled with, in truth I was my own worst enemy. Once I started appreciating the little things in life, I was able to shift into a positive state-of-mind. I still have my days when I’m angry or anxious, but even the lock screen on my phone is a reminder of all the positives there are in my world. I’m happier, and my life seems so fulfilling, it’s not a bad way to be when you’ve lived for a quarter of a century I know that there is so much more that I will learn in the years to come, and I’m excited to see how different my life will be in a year from now. If you have any tips for being 25 feel free to share them in the comment section