Hey there! How are you? I hope you are doing fine. As for me, I just turned 25 this August of 2019. Wow! Time went by so quickly. I can't believe I'm already a quarter of a century old. In that short span of time, a lot have happened and everyday I learn new things.
As I enumerate all of the things I've learned (well not all because I've learned a lot more than just 25), you will get to know more about me. Each number unlocks something about me that you probably don't know yet. I'm also thrilled to share these with you because it might help you in dealing with life. But take note, you don't have to follow all of these due to the fact that we have our own differences and experiences.
So, here it goes...
25 Things I've Learned In 25 Years:
1. People come and go. So don't feel bad about yourself and don't get too attached. I have a few friends from high school and college whom I don't talk to anymore. I must admit I was disappointed but I have moved on and accepted it. That's life. People go their separate ways.
2. It's okay to fail. I used to be so afraid of failing because I don't want to disappoint myself, my parents and all those who believed in me. But this changed when I failed a major subject in college. I cried a lot of times due to this. It was the first time I failed a subject. I used to be one of the top students. My mom and dad felt sad too. I got mad at myself and thus I isolated myself for a while. I was depressed, so I used arts as my therapy. It brought out the creativity in me. I started blogging. This is when I realized that things happen for a reason. Perhaps I failed because Physical Therapy wasn't for me. Now I view this as a blessing in disguise because I am so lucky and happy that I am pursuing what I am really passionate about.
3. Let go of toxic people. Yes dear. Let go! You don't need that negativity in your life. What you need is to be around those who are positive and those who bring out the best in you. You'll thank yourself for it.
4. You are not behind. Life is not a race, hunny. It is better to go slowly but surely. Just enjoy the present. It doesn't matter what others have accomplished right now. Focus on yourself. Don't compare. Think about all those things that you have accomplished and how far you have gotten from who you were last year. Compare yourself to yourself because each of us have different timelines.
5. You don't always have to follow your parents. I know, i know. Some of you may disagree to this, especially parents and as Asians we are expected to obey our mom and dad. You know, if I obeyed everything my parents told me I wouldn't be blogging right now. You wouldn't be reading this because my mom was against me being a blogger. She think it is all just glam and there is nothing to gain from it. Yet here I am now, typing this blog down because I don't just blog for the sake of free items and event invites. I blog to influence and to pursue my passion. What you have to follow is your heart, as long as it is not illegal and immoral, go ahead and do it for yourself, not for the sake of others.
6. Delayed gratification. Just be patient. You may not have what you want right now, but you will definitely get what you need and even better soon.
7. There's nothing wrong with being an introvert. I thought I was weird for being unusual. A lot of people I know loves to go out and party and I don't. I prefer staying at home.
8. Not everyone likes alcohol. Ugh. I don't know how people can stand the taste of it. It taste bad for me. Yeah, I know some of you think I am dull or boring. So what, right? And so the next one...
9. You can't please everyone. People will always have something to say behind your back. Get used to it. Just be yourself. You do you, dear.
10. Embrace who you are. If you have been a follower of mine in instagram, you probably know that I have a birth defect called Hemifacial Microsomia - a birth defect that makes one ear folded and half of the face drooped down a bit or in other words, facial asymmetry. When I was a kid until high school, I hid my ears. I was so ashamed of it. I got bullied a lot. I hated it and wondered why I had it. Now it is the complete opposite, I am proud of it! I don't hide it anymore. I tie my hair up because I am not ashamed of it. I'm happy that God made me different. This is one of the reasons why I blog, to inspire people to be proud of who they are. Even if someone will offer me to have this fixed, thanks but no thanks. This is a part of who I am.
11. Always try something new. If I asked you right now, when was the last time you have tried something new, what will be your answer? I am always up for something new. A new hobby. A new adventure. A new look. A new skill to learn. A new experience. Anything new!
12. Get you a job/career that you will really enjoy for a long time. I worked at a BPO company for a while. I thought I was going to be happy because I will be earning money. It was my first job. Yes I earned a lot but I was unhappy and exhausted, I worked graveyard shift and it is ironic that I ended up with a job that required lots and lots of talking, I don't like talking that much, it is draining the hell out of me and my throat was hurting so bad. It turns out money isn't the key to happiness. You know what is? Pursuing your passion is!
13. Take risk. I resigned from my BPO/call center job even though I wasn't certain what was next for me. I'm so glad I did. Now I am earning from doing what I love and I never get tired of it.
14. It doesn't matter how you earn, what matters is how you save. When i worked as a call center agent, I earned a lot but the expenses was a lot too - transportation fees, foods, and since I wasn't happy I had to make myself happy through shopping. I barely saved money. As a freelancer, I don't earn that much but the expenses are less, I don't got to worry about transportation fees, foods and making myself happy. Less expenses means I get to save more!
15. As much as possible, don't ever loan! I did this once and I am never doing it again. I just badly want to own a Fujifilm camera but rest assure I am done with it already and I paid it all with my own earning. But seriously, don't ever engage in loans. You wouldn't want the trouble of paying it every month and the interest too.
16. Learn to stand up against bullying. But don't fight back physically. If they did it once, it is fine, just let if off. Twice? It is fine too. Just don't mind it, he or she is probably just bored. Thrice or more? That's a no-no already. Learn to confront or ask guidance from an adult. Don't ever allow them to dull your shine, darling.
17. Things won't go the way you expected it to. Remember when you were a kid and adults would ask what you want to be when you grow up? I bet most of us answered - doctor, nurse, architect, engineer, firefighter, etc. Who among you pursued what those childhood dreams and who among you pursued a different career? I am the latter and this is okay. Life goes on.
18. Find someone who loves God more than you. I am lucky that I found a guy that loves God so much. You know why? Because if he loves God, it means that he is scared of God and he will be afraid to do immoral things.
19. Cherish those who have been with you even through the worst times. Spoil them and give them love, they are rare. Show them how much you appreciate having them in your life.
20. Invest more on classics than trends. Be practical. Think before buying. Make sure it is something you can use for a long time. I'm getting rid of almost all my clothes because I want to invest in classic pieces more now.
21. Skincare > make-up. I wished I knew this in my early adolescence. I should have invested my time and money on skincare more than make up and perhaps my skin would have been in a better condition if I did.
22. Don't drink coffee and pull an all-nighter the night before exams. I learned this the hard way. I got hospitalized the next day and I wasn't able to take the exams. Instead, have a lot of rest before exams so your mind will be well-rested while you take the exams and you will be able to think clearly.
23. Great ideas come out in the shower. Running out of creativity and ideas? No problem. Just take a shower. How come? Your mind is relaxed in the shower therefore your brain will be able to function well. Most of my content ideas came from while I was taking a bath/shower.
24. Learn to multitask. We only got 24 hours in a day and in those 24 hours you need 8 hours of sleep, so you only have 16 hours to do all the things you got to do. You need to learn to multitask if you want to accomplish a lot. It's a good skill to acquire and most jobs require this. This is how I balance everything.
25. Have two or more ways of earning income. Especially when you are not earning a lot with just one income. How about start a business? Right now I have 3 ways of earning income - I earn through blogging, social media managing, and business. This is typical with freelancers like me. If ever you don't earn from blogging this month, at least you got social media managing and business to provide for you.
And there you go folks! Cheers to 25!
I hope you learned something from me.
Share what you have learned in life too! Comment down below please. I would love to learn from you too.
Let me share to you this quote that I stumbled across while scrolling through facebook...
Life is but a learning process - you ought to learn every moment. Whether you want to improve, start something new, enhance your personality or be the best in your team - LEARN! Never shy away from the learning process. Believe in yourself, reflect what you learn and you will surely be beyond the best one day. - Ritvik Tuteja
Keep Sparkling!
Love, Joyce
SAVE FOR LATER...
This is truly inspiring Joyce! And we're the same age pala. Haha. Siguro sa ganitong age talaga natin marerealize lahat ng mga nagawa natin for the past years. This blog post can help teenagers for their decision din in life.
ReplyDeleteSushmita
https://wandersushi.blogspot.com
Thank you so much dear! You have no idea how happy I am with your comment. 25 ka din pala. hehe. And yes, at this age mapapaisip talaga tayo how much we have grown as a person. I really do hope that this will help some people.
Deleteat first I thought we learned the same thing. then, i figured out that you gave me another thing to learn. except the coffee thing. i love coffee.
ReplyDeleteI just want to tell you that, I admired your crafts and your personality, from your strong spirit to the kindness of your heart.
thanks for inspiring!