“1) If you discover something that you’re passionate about, pursue it. Pursue it with everything you have. 2) If you need to cry, cry. Let tears run down your face until there are no more left, until you’re sure you can never cry again. Then wipe your cheeks, and continue fighting. 3) Take time for yourself. Sometimes when everything in your head gets too crowded and confusing, you just need to shut yourself out, to hole up in your room and just be alone with your thoughts. 4) There is no feeling just like the way your heart pounds when you’re at a concert and the lights go out. Also: nothing is as satisfying as screaming out the lyrics to your favourite songs, screaming them right at the person who wrote them down. 5) If you ever need to escape, read a book. Get lost in a different world, give your heart away to fictional characters. Laugh and cry with them. If you don’t like reading, listen to an audio book. 6) Flowers will light up your darkest days. If no one buys flowers for you, buy them for yourself. 7) Always be honest with people you expect to be honest with you. Tell them if you don’t like the way they act towards you or others. And always tell them how important they are, how much you love them and how grateful you are to have them in your life. You can’t say it often enough. 8) Laugh. Laugh until your stomach hurts and until happy tears blur your eyes. 9) Get out of your comfort zone and take the first step. Text him first. Smile at him. You’ve got nothing to lose. Who knows, maybe he’s been as scared as you to make a move. 10) Be nice to your parents. If they’re angry with you, it’s most likely because they’re worried. And think back, maybe you mistreated them. Maybe you weren’t fair. They’re the reason you’re in this world in the first place, so treat them accordingly. 11) Your heart will get broken, there’s no need to lie. But hearts don’t stay that way. It doesn’t matter if someone comes along and fixes it for you or if you fix it yourself. It’s not what you want to hear, but the boy who crushes your heart into tiny pieces probably won’t even matter to you five years from now. 12) Cut toxic people out of your life. You don’t need them. Don’t let them take your happiness. 13) It’s not selfish to put yourself first from time to time. Not at all. 14) Don’t ever wonder if you’re good enough. Instead try to be the best version of yourself. If you think you are not good enough for someone, think again: let go of them. They don’t deserve you, not the other way around. 15) Losing someone you love is always hard, no matter the circumstances. “Time heals wounds” is not necessarily true - but time helps. Time lets the pain fade to a dull ache in your chest until you wake up one day and you’re okay. 16) Don’t worry too much. Easy to say, isn’t it? What I mean is: don’t worry about things you don’t have to worry about. Because you don’t have to spend your days dreading the next week or dreading your life after school. There’s no point, it only drags you down. 17) Don’t take anything for granted, ever. Be grateful, even for the little things. 18) If someone says “you will never make it” to you, smile at them and try as hard as you can to get where you want to be. You don’t have to show them anything, but it still feels fucking fantastic to prove them wrong in the end, not gonna lie. 19) You have never been in love? You’re a virgin or unkissed, even? Don’t stress. The right person will come along, they’re on their way already. Until they reach you, be kind to yourself. Falling in love is neither a competition, nor a necessity. 20) Make other people happy. Yes. How good does it feel to make someone smile? Tell your best friend she looks amazing when you meet her, help your mum do the dishes, smile at strangers on your way home. Make yourself feel better by simply being a good person. 21) Learn how to forgive others. It’s a blessing to know how to stop holding grudges.”
— 21 things I learned about life before I turned 21
n.j.
