25 Things I Learned While Turning 24

1. Love yourself first. Once you learn to love, and accept yourself for who you are, everything will fall into line. How do you do this, you ask? Tell your goddamn self that you love yourself. It will eventually work.

2. You will meet certain people who will change your life forever, in ways you may not even realize, or ever really understand.

3. You will lose people who you once loved more than anything. You will lose people that you still love more than anything.

4. After we go through a loss, of any sort, we grow stronger than we ever thought we could be.

5. Trust your best friends, but trust your gut even more. Listening to that little voice inside is one of the most beautiful things. No one knows what’s going on inside your head but you.

6. In order to have a healthy and happy gut, take probiotics. Please. Your gut is your guide for your over all health. Doing something little such as that, each day, will change your life.

7. Travel. Need I say more?

8. Of course I need to say more. I don’t mean travel to Boca Raton, Aruba or Atlantic City for the weekend. I mean travel to a foreign country, immerse yourself in a new culture. Finding yourself in a crappy hostel, with three Australians, three bed bugs, not enough money, and too many beers, may turn out to be one of the best nights of your life. Get lost, and let go. Traveling opens up your mind, and most importantly, it opens up your heart. Warning: you will come back a better person.

9. Be confident. You are you. You are beautiful. You are unique and on this planet for a reason. Who gives a flying fuck what other people think. Okay, I mean to a certain degree you have to, it’s not like I can show up to work everyday in sweatpants and N.G.A.F (that stands for NOT GIVE A FUCK). This thing called life is way too short to be spent on that overwhelming need to please everyone else, or believe that you should look, or feel any other way.

10. Maybe swear a little less than I do….. Or don’t. Whatever.

11. If you don’t like something, CHANGE IT. NOW.

12. Be kind to your parents. They are growing old, and they are irreplaceable.

13. It’s the little things. That pit that you get in your stomach, when that person finally texts you. When you finally see them, and are so overwhelmingly excited but have to hide it, that you could vomit and pass out at the same time.

14. Practice yoga.

15. Take risks. Go on that interview. Apply for that job, or apply to that school. It may sound cliché, but all that matters is that you gave it your best shot. You will be amazed at how once you actually challenge yourself, and do something that scares the living shit out of you, how much stronger you will become. Get out there, and force yourself to be the absolute best that you could be. Yes, I know from experience. Did this take a little (fine an insane amount) of ass kicking from my father to get me out into the real world and finally accept that I am no longer in college. Yes it did. It hurt, I cried a lot, but sometimes it’s just time to do some growing up. If anyone else can do it, so can you.

16. Growing up means accepting that things change. Will you lose your superpowers of never getting hungover after binge drinking? Yes. Should you be binge drinking like you are still in college when you’re not? No. Will this still somehow, miraculously tend to happen…maybe.

17. If you have to question if you should go home with that guy, you probably shouldn’t go home with that guy.

18. Will you still go home with that guy? Yes you will probably still go home with that guy. Unfortunately, one big part of life is learning things the hard way. (no pun intended).

19. Grab a bite to eat, or a drink with a friend after a rough day at work. Sometimes that’s all you need.

20. If you see someone who is elder and could use a hand, whether it’s holding the door for them, holding their shopping bag, or even just smiling at them. It’s a mitzvah. L’Chiam!

21. Indulge. Whatever that means to you, do it. Life is short, do whatever the hell makes you happy.

22. Throw on a hair mask. Massage some coconut oil onto that mane once in a while.

23. You will have days that you feel fucking fantastic, you’re on top of the world. At this point, you basically feel qualified enough to rule the world.

24. You will also have days that make you want to morph into a pocket size version of yourself, run away and never come back. You feel like this day will never fucking end and just when you think it can’t get any worse, it does.

25. But, then guess what. You’re alive, you’re breathing.. you realize that you’re appreciative for what you have. Whether it’s your family, friends, significant other, job, car, coffee beans, roof over your head, boobs, whatever the hell it is your thankful for…And the best part of it all, life goes on.