17 lessons I learned while 17

This past year has been very memorable, to say the least. From applying to colleges and figuring out what I want to do in the future, to finishing out my senior year during a pandemic. However, throughout all the craziness, I learned a lot about myself and the world around me. Below are life lessons 17 lessons I learned while 17.

1)You have to be confident in yourself

I am someone who second guesses themselves. I never fully trust myself, however, in the last year, I have realized that part of the key to success is being confident in yourself. Until you stop second-guessing yourself then what is stopping everyone from second-guessing you? Although learning how to be confident isn’t the easiest thing in the world, it is a skill that I’m pretty sure everyone is secretly working on.

2) Your dreams are not stupid

Your dreams are important because they are yours. Don’t let anyone crush them because they don’t believe in you. Chase your dreams and go for it because until you do they are just what-ifs.

3) Find the friends that you can stay up all night laughing with

This past year my friends and I have spent a lot of time just driving around or hanging out via zoom. We don’t need to be with each other or doing the most exciting thing in the world to have fun and create memories. The only thing that is important to us is that we are together.

4) It is okay to nap

Ask anyone I love to nap. I would find myself taking naps after school if possible. For me, it is time to recharge, and relax. Napping is not a bad thing and doesn’t mean you are weak.

5) You never know what will happen tomorrow, so be your best self today

I think this is a lesson that everyone learned this last year. You can’t predict the future so you just have to live life to the fullest. There is no point spending a day in a crabby mood feeling like the worst version of yourself. If you try to be your very best self every day you will have hundreds of good days for every bad one.

6) Procrastination is not the best option

I think I realized this at 3 am one day when I hadn’t finished a project due at noon. Procrastination helps absolutely no one. There is no benefit from it, just added stress. Staying organized and getting assignments done when you get them alleviates all this unnecessary stress.

7) Just be yourself

This one is kinda self-explanatory but is something that I think personally everyone struggles with. Whenever you have to put up a facade and start acting like someone or something else you lose yourself which in turn creates stress and often takes away any fun you could have.

8) No one has all the answers

This is another one that I think that everyone learned this year. No one has all the answers. No one can predict the future, or make problems disappear like they never happened. However, there are experts who you can turn to for help. There is research, and other tools that help you get ideas. Answers aren’t always around or easily found.

9) Just go for it

This year was a year full of applications. I didn’t get a majority of the scholarships that I applied for, however, if I didn’t have the just go for it mindset then I would not have received any. Being able to just go for it allows you to live in the present even more and eliminate a lot of what-ifs from your life.

10) It is okay to cry about it, but also think about how you are going to fix it.

Okay, not going to lie I cry. However, after I cry I have started to try and figure a way to fix the problem. Upset about a grade? Figure out how you will study different to do better next time. Upset about an event being canceled? Plan a time to hang out with your friends even if it is a socially distanced car picnic. There is always a solution to make you feel better or to fix your problem it is important to pick yourself up after the tears and find the solution.

11) Stand up for what you believe in

This year was the first time that I stood up for myself and what I believed in, and let me say the feeling after I did that was the best feeling in the world. I think that standing up for what you believe in makes you a strong person, and helps you self advocate which is a key part of being a strong confident person.

12) Do what you love

You spend so much time at work, at school, or doing activities so why would you do something that you dislike. Okay, and when I say doing something you dislike I don’t mean waiting in line at the DMV or going to the dentist those are things that no one likes but we all have to do. When I say doing things you dislike I mean working a job that you hate or having a bad attitude about a class. I was lucky enough this past year to love all 6 of my classes at school, and have an amazing job that I love to spend time at. Finding these things that I love helps me have great days almost every day.

13) Being a control freak is not always the best

Okay, I am a control freak. This is not a quality that I am super proud of but one that I have acknowledged. Being a control freak is not something that other people like to be around and I have had to learn this last year how to let other people take control of things.

14) You don’t have to always be perfect

I also tend to be a perfectionist. I am obsessed with getting As, and acceptance. However, this last year I have learned that you do not always have to be perfect. You do not need to be accepted by everyone and everything. No one is perfect, even if people think that they are.

15) No one follows the same timeline, live your own life

Some people graduate high school and go to college, some people take a gap year, some get a degree online, some go in person. No one follows the exact same timeline. Everyone is on their own journey, everyone has their own pace. It is important to follow your own timeline and create your own journey.

16) Me time is key time

This is a big lesson I have learned. You need to take time to relax. You need to take time to breathe. For me, this is through yoga classes, and time spent watching Netflix. For others me time could be meditation and shopping. Me time is whatever makes you happy and allows you to relax and take a moment to breathe and destress.

17) Don’t wait till tomorrow just do it today

All the time I will say “oh I’ll just start tomorrow”. Yet I have found out if I say this that means that I won’t do it the next day or the month after that. Saying this just leads to 100 unfinished projects that are procrastinated off. If you have time don’t wait till tomorrow just do it now and get it done. The feeling once you finish will be great.

These are the key lessons that I learned this last year. All 17 of these things have helped me become the person that I am today and will definitely be applied to my attitude in college and beyond.

Heres to 18! I hope it is a year full of laughs, smiles, and so much more. I can't wait to continue to learn more about myself and the world around me.