20 Things to Remember as an Adult

As you grow older and spend more time on your own making decisions, there will be many lessons you learn along the way. Some good and others are bad. Some come from success and others come from failure. Yet not one of them is less important than the next one. Here are 20 things I've learned as an adult and that is important to remember:

1. Give credit where credit is due. Sometimes it seems impossible to come up with new ideas or inspiration in our lives, which is why it is totally okay to be inspired by someone or something else to do something. What isn't okay is taking credit when not all of it is yours. Admit that others inspire you. Admit that their drive and ideas pushed you to do or say something. Give credit! Trust me, it has a better payoff than the alternative. 
2. If you don't do it, nobody will do it for you. As you grow older, more responsibilities fall upon your shoulders. And truth be told it is your job to get things done. It goes from something so simple as to making your own doctors appointments and doing the dishes, to being the one who calls the shots in your personal and professional life. Once you start doing the work, everything else will fall into place. 
3. Apologize. Sometimes we have to be the better person and say we are sorry. Admit you've done wrong once in a while. Forget about pride or looking like a fool, when you are wrong and you apologize that is a sign of maturity. Yet be careful and do not apologize all the time or for meaningless things. Only say you are sorry when it is called for. I have a tendency to apologize for everything and that other end of the spectrum is also not good. 
4. Quality and not quantity. When it comes to friends, less is more. Once you graduate High School and begin college you learn who your friends really are and you make new ones. Trust me, you want to make sure those you keep are quality friends who make you a better you and vice-versa. It doesn't matter if you only end up with two friends in five years.  
5. Listen to your gut. Matter of fact, there is a chance it is always right. Follow this instinct when meeting new people, experiencing new things, visiting new places and making choices. From this, you will learn what aspects of your life make it better and which ones are extremely not worth it. This is usually when you learn to say NO. It could be about hanging out at a new place in town with friends or even to that new boy or girl who's been trying to get your attention at work. 
6. Be patient. Things take time! I know sometimes we are in a hurry to get to the good parts like graduation, relationships, and our dream job. These things do not happen in a blink of an eye. They take hard work and a lot of patience. Keep at it and you will get there! It is important to remember that just because others are traveling the world, having kids, getting married or moving forward in their careers that you are failing. Others experiences do not discredit yours. Your time simply hasn't come. 
7. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. From mistakes is that we learn the best lessons. What's worse than mistakes? Not trying at all. So try that new restaurant, meet that new boy or girl for some ice cream and ask the questions you may have. Making mistakes and admitting it takes a lot of courage, but learn from them and become better. Remember: making the same mistake twice is not a mistake, it is a decision. 
8. No matter what you do or say, someone will always be offended. Lately, it seems like everyone is offended about something these days. We have to watch out what we publish, what we say, and what we wear. It is exhausting worrying about everyone! This is why it is important to remember that no matter what, someone will always be offended and be vocal about it. This shouldn't keep you from doing or saying the things you want. Apologize if it is necessary and move on. Keep living no matter what. 
9. You're never done growing up and learning. As much as we would love to think we know it all, the truth is we never do. So don't be afraid to continue to grow up, mature, and learn new things. This is all a part of our human experience. I like to think it is the most beautiful part. 
10. Have a sense of humor. You choose your attitude when things go wrong and when they go right. So why not have a sense of humor? Make fun of yourself every once in a while! This will not only improve your attitudes towards life but also people's perception of you. So when you are out on that dinner date and suddenly pasta sauce is all over your dress or shirt, laugh it out and make a joke about needing a bib. There is no use to waste a few seconds feeling upset about it. 
11. It's not a crime to be selfish. We often worry about disappointing others and this ends up becoming the jumping hoop section at a circus. It is okay to be selfish and say no to certain commitments. It is okay to take a day for yourself and indulge. Heck! It is even okay to spoil yourself every once in a while by buying yourself that thing you've had your eye on for some time or by eating at that restaurant you've wanted to try. Being a little selfish does not make you a bad person and it also doesn't mean you don't know how to share. 
12. It's okay to feel lost. As we grow older, we also change; so does our environment, circumstances, and the people that are around us.  Which is why it is important to have alone time and get to know each ourselves again and what drives us. This lost feeling will not last forever, but it is completely normal. We question if we've made the right decisions. We worry because things aren't happening yet. This is when you need to learn to re-find the small joys in your life. Don't be afraid of it, embrace it and become a better version of yourself at the end of the tunnel. 
13. Don't be afraid to find yourself. Following the line of feeling lost, we also shouldn't be afraid of finding one's self and what drives that inner you. As I mentioned before, as human beings we change as we grow up. Don't be afraid to learn if now you like to fish or wonder why all of a sudden you have this deep desire to become an activist. Indulge that inner you and get to know him or her. And the only way to do this is by having time for yourself outside of your relationships. Go have coffee by yourself or find your favorite quiet place to do some deep thinking. Find out what you love, hate, and are capable of. 
14. March to the beat of your own drum. We all have different ways to do the same tasks. So don't be afraid to do things your own way. It might be faster or take you longer, but it does not mean that you will not be able to do the same thing as others. Be a leader and not a follower. If the only way for you to pass that Lit final is by listening to the audio book instead of reading, go right ahead! Others will say it is taking a shortcut, but in reality, you just need to achieve the same outcome by taking a different road. 
15. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone. This just means that you need to try new things and not allow fear to keep you from doing the things you want to do. By pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone, we learn a lot more about us and this might surprise us. I used to be afraid of public speaking until I had a job where every day I had to push myself to talk to multiple groups of people.  I never thought I was capable of it and when it became an easy task after I tried it, I was surprised and even proud of myself. 
16. Social media is not your life! Learn how to unplug yourself from it and simply live. Nowadays everyone is worried about what needs to be out there as if your experience is not validated if it isn't online. Have a date night without publishing the details on Facebook or a road trip without documenting it in your Snapchat. Just the fact that it isn't online, does not mean it didn't happen. 
17. Listen to others and learn from what they have to say. This will give you confidence and keep you from becoming arrogant and ignorant. Sometimes it is hard to listen to those who have different opinions, but it is the only way we can learn. You must understand both sides to make educated decisions, formulate valid opinions, and learning new things. We might even be surprised when we find out we might have been wrong or right all along. 
18. The best friendships are those that understand you can't be together 24/7 anymore. As responsibility grows, time starts becoming compromised. Which means you can't hang out with your friends every weekend, or have those three-hour phone conversations about Twilight anymore. This doesn't mean that your friendship is over, it just means that you're growing up. So when your friends understand that too, you have some winners. Send them a text every once in a while when you find something funny online or set up those monthly (or more) update dates. Trust me you will learn that just because you aren't together 24/7 that things will be any different. 
19. You need alone time, but you also need friends and family there. Just because you need those quiet moments to yourself, that doesn't mean that at times you might need your support system around you. It may be to celebrate an accomplishment or because you are going through a difficult time. So cherish them and lean on them when you need to. 
20. Take a day off. You're human and you need your rest. When you get the chance, take a lazy day where you shower and change back into your pj's and end up watching Netflix all day. Your body and mind will thank you! 

On a side note, I wanted to apologize for missing my Monday posting schedule before I ended this post. I was really upset about it, but some things came up that left me feeling exhausted at the end of the day and unable to finish and publish. Expect a new beauty post tomorrow as scheduled. I'll write to you all soon. 

Love, Nashi