22 Little Things I Learned About Life At 22
By Maria Binas
1. Have a voice
Evil things sometimes happen because of those who see evil yet choose to do nothing about it. Have a voice.
2. People don’t change
They simply reveal who they truly are as time goes.
3. Be humble
“Anyone who says they’re humble, isn’t anymore.” — Sen. Chiz Escudero
4. It’s okay to feel sad
Do not suppress anger or any emotion. What are you, a psychopath? Your emotions don’t make you weak. If anything, they make you stronger as it helps you recover and cope better from stress and other challenges.
5. To save money, just don’t go inside the shops
Don’t even online “window” shop. Seriously. Don’t tempt yourself.
6. Don’t hold grudges
It weighs you down and stops you from moving forward.
7. People hate on things that they don’t understand
Don’t be like them. Have empathy instead. You don’t have to be accepting of other people’s beliefs and opinions, nor should you force your own beliefs to them, you just got to have respect.
8. Travel
Fill your life with adventure. Go hiking. Visit a nearby city. Travel to a different country or go on a world tour. Learn other people’s cultures and taste their cuisine. Travelling broadens your mind and help you become more self aware. Travelling is one of the few things in life worth investing your money in.
9. Read more
Social media less.
10. Be kind
Always. Help those who need it most and don’t expect anything in return. May they extend the kindness to other people as well.
11. Work hard
Everyone wants the best things in life but not all of them are willing to put in the effort. Work hard even when others are not. Things worth keeping take a lot of time. Have patience, too, in the process.
12. Always find reasons to be thankful
Find the good things out of any situation you’re in.
13. Stop comparing yourself to others
The only one who you should be competing with is the person you were yesterday. Do not envy those around you. Celebrate with them their successes. Their accomplishments are not your failures.
14. Be present
Don’t be on your phone when you’re with company. It’s disrespectful and hurtful toward the other person. Be present and talk to them about what is new with yourself or if you have any new ideas or projects you’re recently working on.
15. We lose friends sometimes
Sometimes we grow apart from people. And that’s okay.
16. Never stop working on yourself
Take good care of yourself. If you don’t take care of yourself now, how will you be able to take care of the people you love someday?Don’t expect different results when you keep doing the same things. Keep your plate colourful. Drink lots of water. Exercise daily. Pray regularly. Meditate. Do things that are good for your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental well-being. It may take a lot of work, but hey, it only takes 21 days of constant effort to form a habit.
17. Celebrate little successes
Celebrate little successes like how you fret over failures. Those are milestones towards your goals. Celebrating your small achievements will motivate you to work even harder toward your big goal.
18. “Don’t chew more than what you can swallow”
Turns out this saying is not only about food. Set a limited amount of work/tasks you can do and be careful not to overwork yourself. Don’t commit to work or things that you cannot fulfil. Your body may be healthy but you need rest too.
19. Don’t settle
Reached a goal? Then set another one. Don’t remain stagnant. And while it’s true that not everyone has the same heart as you, it don’t mean that you should settle either with people who treat you less than you deserve.
20. Live for yourself
Other people’s opinion about you shouldn’t define you and thus, shouldn’t have a control in your life. You don’t need the world to like you, you just need to like yourself. Be comfortable in your own company and someone who enjoys it will come along someday. You don’t need to bed yourself backwards just to please other people.
21. Stop whining
If you can do something about a problem, then start doing so. Complaining or stressing out about it won’t solve anything. One of the most annoying habits is to assume that you have it harder than everyone else. It’s rude to disregard other people’s hard work. Everyone is just as busy and tired as you are.
22. Choose whom you surround yourself with
One of the biggest factors that affect your quality of life is the people who you choose to surround yourself with. Surround yourself with people who are good for your mental health.