Everything Erin

, by Erin Grace

Study Q&A

, by Erin Grace

18 Things I Have Learnt In 18 Years

Turning 18 recently, on the 6th November 2018, apparently meant I am now an 'adult', therefore seemed the perfect time to reflect on what I have learnt so far. I have seen a few things like this floating around the blogosphere before, but I was actually inspired by a YouTube video by Fabulous Hannah a couple of years back, when I decided I would do that when I became eighteen, and the time has come!

1. Surround yourself with the best people. No matter how difficult it will be, do not feel guilty about cutting toxic people out of your life – they are not worth your time.

2. Take risks. Try new things. It might scare you, it might not even pay off, but you will learn something from the experience.

3. It is okay if something doesn't turn out as you hoped. Sometimes I create a version of how I want something to turn out, but I have learnt that it's okay if it isn't how I pictured - often it actually ends up better.

4. A good cry is sometimes necessary – you should never have to apologise for your tears. I like to live by ‘have a good cry, then never cry about that again’. Let it all out, then never look back.

5. Always, always do your best. No one can ever ask for more, and you can never regret anything if all you did was your best.

6. As the wise Phoebe Buffay says, “Boyfriends and girlfriends may come and go, but [friends] are for life.”

7. Give someone a second chance. But don’t give them a third, fourth, and certainly not a fifth.

8. Allow yourself to worry, but don't worry 'too much'. You'll probably just end up worrying about the wrong thing anyway.

9. People will not like you, it's usually for no reason but their own insecurities. It's okay, you don't need to like them either.

10. The best (and only true) friendships are based on trust.

11. It's much better to have one or two amazing friends, than an endless ream of fake friends.

12. Maybe gossiping is unhealthy... but that doesn't mean it isn't enjoyable, when taken with a pinch of salt.

13. I like being the best. But sometimes, coming second or third can end up better in the long-run.

14. 'Living in the moment' dosn't mean don't take photographs. You will always love looking back on those memories, and even though your friends moan about the amount of photos you take, they're always love looking back on them too.

15. Don't take good people for granted. Nowadays, they're hard to find, so you should really cherish the good ones.

16. Find the time to take a break from the world for a while. Turn of the internet and read, or draw. I've learnt about how much I love switching off everything and just drawing for a few hours, and don't want to forget how much I love it when I finish my art a-level.

17. You never know when that obscure fact will come in handy.

18. Everything can be solved by watching Friends and eating some chocolate cake.

I really do have a love of learning (really random things, like all the fifty states I learnt over the summer), but at the end of the day, these are the eighteen things I think are my most important life lessons.