23 Reminders Every 23-Year-Old Needs To Hear Right Now

1. Trust your intuition. You may be surprised but that first hunch you always feel, is that way for a reason. Reason being it’s typically right. Imagine your intuition as your instincts fashioned by your particular experiences. And plus, even if you’re still not convinced or it turns out wrong in the instant, like your mother always said, it’s best to be safe than to be sorry.

2. Some burned bridges are not meant to be reconstructed. Whether it’s failed relationships or friendships gone amiss, appreciate what once was, and carry the lessons you learned from it with you as you continue to write in the pages of your life. If the person on the other side of that bridge was meant to be in your life and wanted this, the bridge would have already been reconstructed.

3. Anger is heavy, so let it go. Walking around continuously upset with life’s dealings, or the way things seem to be going in the moment ultimately just weighs you down emotionally, mentally, and even physically.

Instead, start picking out the little wins that happen to you each day, even on the worst ones. Did you wake up this morning? Have you had food to eat? Do you know where your sleeping tonight? If so, you’re already winning.

4. Look away from the screen. Do not get me wrong, I know technology is an incredible advantage in today’s society. I mean, could you imagine George Washington’s face as you’d try to explain to him how he could order a pepperoni pizza in his boxer briefs in the comfort of his own home, all while having GPS tracking attached to it, and not even speaking to another human until the doorbell rings? What a time to be alive George, am I right?

But on a serious note, there is so much in this life to appreciate that’s missed when your eyes are glued down to our screens. That elderly couple walking down the street, the crisp leaves rustling as they hit the street’s sidewalk, the crisp breeze flowing through the air. Take it in, all of it.

5. Stop seeking validation through others, but start seeking it from within. Once you stop what is the incessant search for other’s “likes” or waiting around for responses, staring at those three dots, you will understand how nonsensical it all really is.

Your worth is already so much more than any of this. It is everything you admire, everything you dislike, and all the things in between. It is your failures and your greatest accomplishments, your drive, your personality, and your purpose. You are so very unique and no one else’s viewpoint or idea of you matters once you can grasp this.

6. Addictions are just that, addictions. You are not “better” or “above” anyone who holds them. They can be crippling and are consuming, but they can be overcome. Mental-will, just like anything in life, gets better with repetition and practice.

Be there for those you know stuck under the thralls of addiction but also be there for yourself, mentally, if you find yourself in the same boat. Whatever consumes you is not impossible to beat, it just takes daily practice, awareness, and diligence.

7. Take care of your body. You are not invincible. Listen to its aches, its pains, and its cracks. Make working out a habit. Your body was meant to move. But listen to it, as these messages carry truth. And you will be spending the rest of your life with it, so take care of it now and it will take care of you for the many years ahead.

8. Say hello and introduce yourself. I hate to write this, but it honestly seems that millennials are finding new ways to get better and better at avoiding communication. We are humans, and we all want to be heard as well as to listen to others. Once you knock on this first door, you really have no idea where the conversation could take you. Who knows, you may have just introduced yourself to a lifelong friend.

9. Be you, unapologetically. If you want to leave the party early, to drive and get ice cream at 1 a.m., then you go Glen Coco, and you enjoy that nectar from the dairy gods. A wise person once said that there is no use in trying to be someone else, they’re already taken. So be yourself, whatever that entails.

10. Even though you’re growing up, your parents and loved ones are simultaneously growing old. Reach out to them and show them the love they so rightfully deserve for always being there for you when you needed them.

11. Lifelong friendships are just friendships that you hold onto, for your life. They care about you and you care about them, so do not ever lose this.

12. Counting your blessings is more important than counting your finances. The more you appreciate what you have, the more will naturally come your way.

13. Routine is important, but so is a change of pace. Never shy away from doing something that strays away from your typical routine, for it very well might just revitalize your sole.

14. Pray, meditate, or do whatever it is you must to pause. Taking moments in this life is necessary to return back to center base and build peacefulness in your mind.

15. Spend quality time alone with yourself. Do what you like and treat yourself when you can. Identify what your strengths are and acknowledge your weak links over time, always working on them. No one here is perfect and the more you listen and understand who you are, the more you become comfortable alone and will not need the company of anyone else.

16. But on the same note, surround yourself with only the best people you can find. It is so true how you become most like those you share your time with. Choose wisely.

17. Feel the pain, but also feel the pleasure. Running from or tucking away emotions is the most convenient method in our constant world, but tremendously unhealthy, as they bottled up and build. Try instead to acknowledge them, feel them intensely, and understand the reasons behind each fleeting emotion. Nothing is permanent, and so it goes with whatever it is you are feeling.

18. But if experience is a teacher, death is the professor. When it comes, and it will, appreciate the hell out of every moment you had with them, and understand that the way you feel and will feel for a very long time, just exemplifies how very special the relationship you had with them was and how blessed you are to have had it with them.

19. It feels amazing to help people. So go ahead and do it as much as you can: family members, old friends, neighbors, the elderly, homeless shelters, and the list goes on. In order to write your own story, listen to and learn from as many others’ as you’re able, as this will give you some of the necessary ink to your story’s pen.

20. If you are able to travel, go far and go often. Traveling to different countries and regions will make you vulnerable and permit some of the greatest personal growth of yourself possible. Meeting and understanding different perspectives from yours will provide even more ink to your pen.

21. Accept who you are today. You are not your past and you certainly are not your future. Who you are today is far from perfect but also, exactly the person you are meant to be right in this moment.

22. No one actually has an idea of what they’re doing, so if you meet someone that says they do, definitely do not trust them. As far as I’m concerned, we all go number #2 sitting down put on pants one leg at a time. If they really have it figured out, show me levitation.

23. Live in the present moment and live today well, whatever this entails and whatever it means for you right now. Life is way too short for regret, missed chances, and what ifs. You must be happy. So if something or someone brings fire to your soul, glimmer to your eyes, and a mighty beat to your chest, then exit this tab immediately. What are you waiting for?