My 24th birthday is this week. That’s right, almost a quarter of a century baby! It’s actually kind of terrifying, but I’m excited to enter my mid-twenties (are my early twenties finally over? Can I brush that uncertainty off now?) and get the ball rolling with even more cool stuff. At 24 I’ll be travelling to Europe for the first time, and hopefully for the 2nd time too (Germany and Iceland here I come!) I really can’t wait for all the things this new year has in store for me, and I’m happy I may be able to impart some of my 23 years of wisdom in the post below.
Here are a few things my 23rd year made incredibly clear for me, not all new lessons, but definitely important ones:
1. Sunscreen. No excuses.
2. Cherish the friends you can pickup where you left off with. They’re the ones that will stick it out for the long haul.
3. Friendships require energy, but not everything you’ve got. See item #2.
4. Literally no one is looking at you. Well, unless you’re making a lot of noise.
5. Your forgiveness is more of a gift to yourself than to anyone else.
6. Getting your eyebrows done totally counts as self care.
7. Baking from scratch means you can be more proud of yourself, because you should be.
8. Podcasts are such a great resource for learning, entertainment, and laughs. I listened to thousands of episodes this year.
9. Sometimes you have to learn what you don’t want to understand what you do want.
10. Morning and night routines are the backbone of your day.
11. Things are usually on the clearance rack for a reason. Leave them there.
12. By 23 you should own luggage, and not just the duffel bag that hurts your shoulder.
13. It makes way more sense to make cocktails at home.
14. If you find a working balance between cake and salad, you’ll probably be fine.
15. The skincare routine doesn’t have to have a million steps or the most expensive to be good.
16. Check in with yourself.
17. Get a massage once in a while.
18. Yelp is your friend, especially for finding a good place to get that massage.
19. Intuition is never wrong. Learn to recognize it and listen.
20. Learn to identify your coping mechanisms so you can understand even subtle changes in your behavior when you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed. Self awareness is key.
21. Grocery shopping on week nights is far less annoying than going on the weekend. The later the better.
22. Ask for the help you need.
23. Sometimes the right now needs more attention than the future. You can only be so prepared. Embrace the little changes.
2. Cherish the friends you can pickup where you left off with. They’re the ones that will stick it out for the long haul.
3. Friendships require energy, but not everything you’ve got. See item #2.
4. Literally no one is looking at you. Well, unless you’re making a lot of noise.
5. Your forgiveness is more of a gift to yourself than to anyone else.
6. Getting your eyebrows done totally counts as self care.
7. Baking from scratch means you can be more proud of yourself, because you should be.
8. Podcasts are such a great resource for learning, entertainment, and laughs. I listened to thousands of episodes this year.
9. Sometimes you have to learn what you don’t want to understand what you do want.
10. Morning and night routines are the backbone of your day.
11. Things are usually on the clearance rack for a reason. Leave them there.
12. By 23 you should own luggage, and not just the duffel bag that hurts your shoulder.
13. It makes way more sense to make cocktails at home.
14. If you find a working balance between cake and salad, you’ll probably be fine.
15. The skincare routine doesn’t have to have a million steps or the most expensive to be good.
16. Check in with yourself.
17. Get a massage once in a while.
18. Yelp is your friend, especially for finding a good place to get that massage.
19. Intuition is never wrong. Learn to recognize it and listen.
20. Learn to identify your coping mechanisms so you can understand even subtle changes in your behavior when you’re feeling anxious, overwhelmed, or stressed. Self awareness is key.
21. Grocery shopping on week nights is far less annoying than going on the weekend. The later the better.
22. Ask for the help you need.
23. Sometimes the right now needs more attention than the future. You can only be so prepared. Embrace the little changes.
Image via Unsplash
♥What have you learned this year?
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Love this post! haha. Massages are the best!
Haha I Loe the sunscreen one, I learned the hard way that I am too old to try and take on the sun.
Kasey Ma
thestylewright.com
I definitely second getting your own nice luggage!!
Happy happy birthday, and I TOTALLY agree with so many of these. Sunscreen-MUST!
I love lists like this. I think it is wonderful to compare lessons from those who have lived a different life from my own. Happy Birthday and safe travels to Europe!
I have almost the exact same list! Although I still use a duffle bag, I find it easier to grab and go on my adventures, although it does seriously cut down on the amount I can pack!
Number 16 is so important! I just turned 23 a couple of months ago and I have actually started to realise some of these lessons myself!
You've seemed to learn a lot of great things in your 23rd year! Way to go. I look forward to what you'll learn in your 24th!
Your point about good friends is so true! this is a great list, way to really learn a ton this year!
Love, love, love this AND you!
I love these points. I especially loved coming to realize #4 for myself!
Happy birthday to you this week! I hope your year will be spectacular 🙂