Lessons I Learned at 24

Birthday posts generally call for what you learned that year, and I'm not sure if you noticed, but I didn't write one for year 23. The reason is simple, I was either a) miserable or b) too busy pulling myself out of that misery to sit down and write a post.

I think one day I'll sit down and reflect on that year, but today I want to focus on what I learned the year I was 24, that weird year where you're not in your early twenties anymore but you cant brag about having stuff figured out as if you were in your mid to late twenties. As in between as this age was, I picked up some new knowledge and experiences that I will 100% be keeping in mind for this upcoming year.

Although I'm turning 25 this year, I firmly believe the lessons below are applicable regardless of your age, and the earlier the better, right? Keep reading for the 10 lessons I learned at twenty four and how they can help you make the most of life no matter your age.

NOT EVERYTHING REQUIRES A RESPONSE

Let's start with the hardest one, learning that not everything and everyone requires response. As a very confrontational person it takes effort for me to not verbally drag someone when I feel disrespected, but thankfully I've learned to pick my battles. My new rule is to give someone or something the energy if they/it genuinely matter to me, and if not, on to the next thing!

PEOPLE PAY MORE ATTENTION THAN YOU THINK

In the best way though! For someone who posts on social media regularly and blogs when I have the time, I often forget to keep up with many of my friends on the West Coast. Thankfully I've surrounded myself with people who aren't afraid to reach out to me when they see I'm dealing with something stressful, which helps me skip the whole asking for help part. Genuine friends find a way to keep up with you without calls or texts, like in the case of my friend Marilyn who I communicate with solely through memes most days. 

AND TONS OF PEOPLE DON'T NOTICE HALF OF WHAT YOU DO

The older I get the more I'm caring less of what others think of me. The best part about this is that most people are wrapped up in themselves and what others are thinking of them, leaving them little time to give you or your actions a second thought. I ended twenty four with a clear understanding of what I wanted out of the next year, not worried about the milestones friends were hitting or what other's would think of my choices. 

BURNOUT IS REAL

Who knew that quitting my full time job would be so exhausting? Early last summer I quit my job at the law firm to commit to school full time once again, which led to stress about money, homework, and finally finishing my freaking masters degree. Last week I wrote about why I hated the process of earning my masters, and burnout is a big reason for why it wasn't an enjoyable experience. Practice self-care, what that looks like for you, plus find a support system of people who both get your situation and can uplift you on your hardest days. 

SPONTANEITY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE BAD

As a very by the book person, I like to know what I'm doing, where I'm headed, and who will be there when I arrive. Taking the chance to online date took away a lot of that control though, especially because someone could be straight up lying about who they are. Luckily I found a guy I immediately clicked with, and after only knowing him for two weeks we made the crazy decision to book a road trip to Maine. I had no idea how it would go or if we would end up dating each other by the end of it, but taking a chance I hadn't planned on led me to a much happier place. 

GET SERIOUS ABOUT YOUR TAXES

Ugh, taxes. Those things we grow up hearing about but no one teaches us how to deal with. In 2015 I filed my taxes and got a massive bill in the mail, but with no online payment options I just kept avoiding it until the following year. Thankfully in 2016 I finally got my shit together and paid them all of, but learn this lesson from me, do not just ignore your bill! Interest is real ya'll and you do not want to be paying hundreds of more dollars because you're feeling lazy.

SELF-SABOTAGE IS REAL

Although this is something I'm still working on, self-sabotage is something I think we all work on throughout our lifespan. In  my case, I self sabotage when it comes to my blog, big time. Whenever my blogs starts to gain regular readers and high page views my immediate thoughts are, "what if my clients find my blog?" or worse "what if I start to do so well that I earned a masters for no freaking reason?!" All of these are catastrophic thoughts and unlikely to happen, and even if they did, it's still not the end of the world. I recently wrote a post on self sabotage where you can read how to deal with your own negative thoughts.

SAVING MONEY DOESN'T HAVE TO BE HARD

Quitting my job was a wake up call to how much money I used to spend mindlessly. Living so close to a Target meant I could literally stop by every time I was walking home, which is bad for a Target addict like me. To help me save money I started only buying necessities, using what I already had, and learning to find things to do that didn't empty out my wallet. I've written a bunch on the topic, click here to see all my money saving posts.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR YOUTH

But really though, you will never again have as much free time as you do now. Calling my sister regularly reminds me of how little responsibilities I have, so take advantage of the fact you don't have kids to feed or appointments to head to. Even though I'm a self-proclaimed homebody, I still push myself to do at least one thing each weekend so that it's not just one long blur of me sitting in bed watching YouTube videos.

OUR BODIES ARE CHANGING

The hardest lesson I learned, I'm not 22 anymore. This reality is something I'm still coping with, the fact that my metabolism is slowing and my body is changing because of it. I don't look drastically different, yet I definitely do feel like I'm in a strangers body some days. My only advice for anyone dealing with this same issue is to surround yourself with body positive accounts on Instagram and/or see if there are any healthy lifestyle changes you can make. I have a whole article on my favorite health and workout apps, click here to see it!

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