24 lessons I've learnt in 24 years

Well hello to you my reader chums! The age of 24 sounds so adult and if I'm honest, I don't feel like a 24-year-old, or in a way, feel like what 12-year-old me imagined a 24-year-old to be. But, I'm exactly what 16-year-old me imagined me to be: happy and content with the skin I'm in, and my life as a whole.

I've done a lot of growing mentally and emotionally from where I was in my teens, and I've learnt a lot of life lessons along the way.

24 lessons I've learned in 24 years

Here are 24 lessons I've learnt in 24 years...

  1. Self-love is no1 priority - Self-love is so incredibly important and a lesson that needs to be taught more to young teens. It's something I've learned to come to terms with recently and practicing acts of self-love to help my mental health and how I view myself. From boosting myself up to taking the time out to work on what's best for me; loving myself is the number one priority.
  2. Life isn't an Instagram feed - Social media has a crazy influence on everything these days, especially on how young people view themselves, and it's not healthy. I think it's important to constantly reassure yourself that what you see on social media isn't always real and nobody is perfect. A lot of photos posted on Instagram are staged, overly edited, and only show one small part of someone's life. Remember that when you're constantly comparing yourself to other online users - and that how many likes you get doesn't define you as a person.
  3. Happiness comes from within - Happiness is a journey, not a destination, and as soon as you're able to find inner happiness, the sooner you'll be happy with your day to day life. This all begins with a positive mindset and seeing the better in every day. For me, this journey took a very long time, but I've reached a level of content where I do feel happy from within.
  4. Confidence grows in time - Confidence is something I never thought I would have and it's taken a long journey to get to the point where I feel confident and content with who I am. I've written multiple posts about self-confidence, but you need to realise, that it will take time and you can get there. You can get to a point where you accept who you are and rock it. If I can, anyone can.
  5. Always go with your gut - Gut instinct is something we're all born with and you should always listen to it. Follow your heart with every decision and go by what will suit you most. It's your life and you're number one priority - and it's not selfish to do so.
  6. Don't live your life for others - Following on from number 5, it's important in life to live your dreams and follow your goals, and not to rely on other people's validation to live your life. Whether it's your parents or friends, at the end of the day it's your life and you shouldn't let other people's opinions guide you.
  7. Time is everything - Time is the most valuable thing in life. This goes in every aspect, especially spending time with others. Try and focus on people and time for one another rather than the materialistic things in life. When you're old and grey, you'll remember memories with friends and family rather than the fancy handbag you bought. Invest in experiences and travel.
  8. Explore as much as the world whilst you can - I'm a massive travel addict and I've used the most part of my 20s to travel around the world and loved every minute of it. Travel makes my heart soar and is something I advise everyone to dabble in. The world is wide and there are so many exciting places to see and cultures to experience - do it whilst you can.
  9. Never strive for perfection - As Hannah Montana once sang 'Nobody's Perfect' and that's the truest thing I learned watching Disney Channel growing up. No human on earth is perfect, perfection doesn't exist and you shouldn't strive for it, as it's an impossible goal. Instead, you should strive for being assured in your own skin, that's when you'll find true happiness.
  10. Live while you're young - Like One Direction sang 'Live while you're young'; you should do exactly that. Book that flight, go on that first date, stay up till sunrise, go to karaoke, party with your best friends, go on endless beach days, ride that rollercoaster, and travel; move around the world as much as you can. Take every opportunity in your path and live the high ride - so in years to come, you can look back on those fun memories.
  11. Love every moment - Life is what you make it and even though it's full of ups and downs, and unexpected moments, learn to love the good and the bad. They happen for a reason and shape you into who you are. Appreciate the little things and cherish the moments you will never get back.
  12. Be assured it's okay not to be okay - This is probably one of my favourite and most important lessons. As much as it's important to be happy, it's also important to know and realise, you don't need to be happy all the time. Down days are inevitable and so are bouts of anxiety, nerves, and feeling lost. We all go through hard times and that is okay, that is life. Be patient and take a day at a time.
  13. Mental health is very important - Following on from point 12, mental health is so important, and looking after yours should be a priority. Whether that's by taking time out, cutting toxic people out of your life, practicing meditation, or doing whatever you need to do to maintain a healthy mindset. Your mental health should be as important as your physical health. Treat a bad mental health day like you would a fever and care for yourself. And, always check in your friends with their mental health, as you never know what people are going through. 
  14. Having a positive mindset will help you conquer all - Being a half glass full kind of person will do wonders in life. I've learned over the years by thinking positive about every situation gave me a better outlook on life and how I viewed things. It can take practice to get there but once you train your brain to be that way, you will feel a lot happier.
  15. Body confidence is something you can learn - My journey to being completely body confident took years of growth and practice but I'm at a point, where I'm fully happy with the skin I'm in. As I've gotten older, I realised that nobody has the perfect body and I shouldn't strive for that - I should strive for accepting the body I have. It's healthy, it's looking after me and it's a body. We all have one and we should all love it.
  16. Accepting yourself is key - Like with body confidence and confidence as a whole, once you take the initial step in accepting your flaws and everything good about yourself, then you will be able to take on many obstacles that come your way. It's about learning your self-worth and realising who you are which can rocket your self-confidence. Accepting yourself is the hardest step but the most crucial one.
  17. Learn the art of letting go - Letting things go is a powerful art and something we should all try and practice. Holding onto grudges, staying in contact with toxic people, or at a place that doesn't make you happy can hurt you in the long run. Once you learn to walk away from things that don't make your heart soar, your happiness will come with it.
  18. Everything happens for a reason - I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason and your path is already laid out for you and I think this is something which has always helped me stay positive in times of crisis. Having that belief in what will be, will be, helps lessen the worries when unexpected things occur.
  19. Surround yourself with people who believe in you - The people you surround yourself with is so important as they impact how you feel about yourself and what you get up to in life. I've learnt as I got older to have the people around me that will boost me up and support everything I do, rather than tear me down. The people who truly love you will believe in you every step of the way and those are the people you need in your life.  
  20. Your dreams and passions are so important - We've all only got one life and how you choose to live it is down to you. Follow your dreams, try new things, and learn what your passions are - and roll with it. Life is about living for the now, having fun and accomplishing whatever you dream to do.
  21. Love yourself before you love everyone else - This is probably the best ever bit of relationship advice I can give you or I wish I knew when I was a lot younger. Loving yourself should be your number 1 priority and you shouldn't rely on anyone else for your happiness. Then, when you get into a relationship, you choose to be with someone because you want them in your life not because you need them. You should only need yourself - and when you're content with who you are, you and your partner will flourish a lot more as a couple.
  22. Diet culture isn't healthy - I could rant about the diet industry as a whole all day long. Being skinny or thin isn't what you need to be in life to be a good person or be beautiful - there is so much more to the world than how much you weigh. It's a number on a scale and doesn't define you in any way. I've come to terms with this over the years. But one thing that made me realise was reading into the diet industry and how in a sense you're 'congratulated' for losing weight or becoming a smaller size. And although that is an accomplishment when you choose to diet and eat healthier, it shouldn't be about how much weight you're going to lose as that can fluctuate, it should be about how your body feels and how healthy you are, physically and mentally. Every different size is beautiful whether you're slim or curvy, embrace that, and don't get the marketing world of dieting tell you otherwise. You do not need a quick fix or skinny teas, it isn't healthy.
  23. Treat people with kindness - Harry Styles' brand is around the phrase 'treat people with kindness' and it's one of the most important mantras out there. You never know what somebody is going through and in a world that can be so cruel, try to be kind. Smile at strangers, check up on people, and help whoever you can in some way. Throw kindness around like confetti. Everyone has a story and everyone deserves to be loved.
  24. Failure is part of life - Last but not least is a lesson about failure. Life is a rollercoaster, it sounds corny but that's the truth. It's full of ups and downs, hard times, and good times, but everything is put in place to help you through. And, failure is a part of that. You're never a failure if you try but what you should understand is you will fail at times and that's okay, you will make mistakes and you will be wrong. This is all part of being human.
I hope you enjoyed this post. What life lessons are your favourite?

Thank you for reading <3


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