Twenty-Seven Things I’ve Learned by Twenty-Seven
Last month I turned 27. Which I realize is still very young in terms of adulthood, and I don’t know as much now as I will in another 20 years.
BUT. As someone who lives in a college town, works with college students, I realize that there have been a lot of lessons learned since I was a college student.
I spent the birthday at home, painting and making a Target run, and then going to dinner with my roomie. After a weekend in beautiful Chicago, where I got to see my favorite team win TWO games, and experience so many beautiful rooftop views. Going back to the Windy City ASAP.
So here’s 27 things…
Most things are not the end of the world.
Bold coffee is a taste worth acquiring.
Surround yourself with people who fill you up, anything less than that will exhaust you.
It’s hard to talk yourself out of going to the gym for only 30 minutes. And so worth it.
It’s okay to make mistakes. You’re trying. And if it’s the worst you ever do, you’re doing alright.
Go to bed early. The times that I’ve gone to bed at 9:30 make mornings so much more pleasant.
Along those same lines, don’t drink caffeine after 5 when you have work the next day.
Reach out to your friends. I’m really bad at this one. But I think its important to send that random text every once in a while.
Try to keep at least your living room clean. Or whatever rooms will be seen if someone drops in for a visit.
A gray tee and dark jeans are wardrobe essentials. Pair them with sandals if you need something casual. Add a blazer/leather jacket and heels to dress it up. Boom.
Bubbly perfumes are not worth the headaches they cause.
Counting colors is a great way to curb a panic attack. Find something red. Breathe. Find something Orange. Breathe. Yellow. Now, green. Blue. Repeat as needed.
It is not the end of the world to be single when all your gals are getting married. You get to be the one with all the fun stories/horror stories about that one date that lasted 8 hours and he argued with you about your thesis topic.
It’s okay to end a date before it ends up being 8 hours.
Kittens and puppies are stressful. But cute.
Some nights its okay to do what you need. Even if it means skipping trivia so you can sit and paint with loud music.
Excitement & Anxiety cause a lot of the same physical responses.
There’s a lot of life out there once you get past your comfort zone.
A steamer is a worthy investment. Mine died, I need to replace it ASAP.
It’s better to be by yourself than to date someone just to be dating someone. Take time to figure out exactly what you want and don’t settle for less.
Smile. It’ll make you feel better. And it’ll make other people feel better.
You feel a lot better when you drink more water. Less alcohol.
The Enneagram & MBTI are really great tools to help understand people.
Go with your gut. It’s usually pretty smart.
Don’t wash your lights and darks together. I learned this pretty early on, but it’s work repeating.
Do your best. It doesn’t have to be perfect. “The enemy of good is perfect.” and “done is better than perfect.” I tend to procrastinate because I get nervous about making the wrong decision, but it feels so. much. better. to be DONE.
Triage whats important, but also the most urgent. There are things that have to be done today, and things that have to be done now. Also things that can be done quickly and checked off, and things that will tie up the whole afternoon. Plan accordingly.