24 Things I’ve Learned in 24 Years

February 25th 2019

Every year has new things to teach~

This is my 3rd birthday that has passed since I started my blog. Each year, I decide to take the opportunity to reflect on my life and lessons I have learned in order to see how much I’ve grown from one year to the next and how much I have grown entirely. That being said, here are 24 things I’ve learned at 24.

1. Cutting someone out of your life doesn’t mean you stopped caring about them- Sometimes you have to let people go for both of your benefit. It won’t be easy, but you will both be better from it.
2. Mindset is everything- Life reflects your mindset more often than not. If you put out negative expectations into the universe, you will be met with your biggest fears. If you push for what you want hard enough, the universe conspires to get you there.
3. Surround yourself with art- Read poetry, go to museums, attend performances, sing for fun. Life becomes so much brighter when you look for every day beauty.
4. Sometimes, it is better to be the first to leave than the last one still there- Life keeps moving no matter what. Don’t spend all of it clinging to your past and what makes you comfortable. Embrace changes, no matter how scary.
5. Tell people you appreciate them- Take the time to recognize the people who have been there for you. Life beats everybody down sometimes and you never know how much somebody needs the reminder that you care.
6. It is okay to turn down an opportunity- You don’t need to take every opportunity presented to you. Sometimes, opportunities are put in front of you to test how well you’ve learned lessons. Know when to say no.
7. You can’t make choices for other people- My mom always said that you can’t stop people from being stupid and I guess she is right. You can’t stop people from making poor choices and if you could, you’d prevent them from learning their own lessons. Be patient with those people.
8. Don’t be mad at people for taking the opportunities you didn’t choose to take- If you didn’t take an opportunity when it was presented to you, you can’t be upset when someone else does. Do what you wanna do, and stay out of opportunities you didn’t take.
9. Confrontation isn’t always negative- I have such a fear of confrontation, but I have learned that not all confrontation is negative. Sometimes you need to confront people in order to help both of you grow.
10. Apologize less- Quit apologizing for being alive! You don’t need to be sorry all of the time. Look for alternatives for apologizing when it comes to things you have no control over.
11. Always say yes to a cookie- Don’t get so wrapped up in “being healthy” and “self improvement” that you forget how to enjoy yourself. A cookie once in a while is good for the soul.
12. If something makes you uncomfortable, say something- I always get so wrapped up in not making other people feel uncomfortable, that I often avoid telling people that they are making me feel uncomfortable. Put yourself first and don’t accept less than you deserve to protect other people’s egos.
13. Don’t judge a book by it’s cover- I have learned this before throughout my life, but this year, I learned it in a new way. I always thought that people who were very focused on their looks were just vain and had very little to say. However, I have seen some very aesthetically beautiful people say some really profoundly beautiful things this year.
14. Travel and concerts are money well spent- I realized that my two favorite things to splurge on are trips and concert tickets. I find that one night at a concert or a weekend away brings so much more to my life in the long run than a new shirt or pair of shoes.
15. Wildlife conservation is more vital than ever- This isn’t a new lesson, but definitely one that was reinforced this year. Between wildfires, hurricanes, tsunamis, and other natural disasters, alongside many extinctions and near extinctions of species, I have become way more passionate about doing my part in small ways.
16. You can’t be everything at once- I am the queen of big ideas and I am such a dreamy Pisces. I want to be everything at once and life doesn’t work that way. I am working on narrowing my focus to create a life that fits nicely together.
17. Relationships are investments- Breaking up doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. Ending a friendship doesn’t mean you can’t talk or think about the good times you had together. You put too much time into people to just let them vanish without a trace.
18. A deep clean out is super refreshing- With the move coming up, I have pretty much helped go through every room in the house in an attempt to cut down on things my family/I own. This deep clean resulted in about 5 bags of donated clothes and shoes, and another 7+ bags of garbage from just my room alone. Parting with things has really helped me feel recharged and refreshed.
19. Tacos fix a lot of things- Whenever I get ghosted or go through a breakup or deal with a shitty person in general, Michaella and I plan to go get tacos. It makes me happy.
20. Little by little, a little becomes a lot- I posted 4 times a week for almost every week in 2018 and it really taught me about how small changes to my posting schedule could yield huge results.
21. Life goes on- In my 23rd year of life, I lost 2 people who played a huge role in my life. However, after over 1 year removed from these people, I realized how much I was able to grow as a result of losing them. Life goes on and sometimes people need to be left in your past as life continues to move forward.
22. Care more, care less- Care more for others, care less about outcomes. Love harder and worry about less. It is so much healthier to just live life instead of spending it calculating every possible outcome and overthinking every interaction.
23. Take a step back from dramatic people- I have gotten pretty good at keep people who attract drama at arms length. I am at the point in my life where I can’t deal with tears and big productions. As an adult, I don’t want to invite in the petty high school and college drama that I thought we all outgrew.
24. You never stop learning about yourself- Each year, I learn a little more about myself. I learned that I don’t like book series, hate arugula, love plush blankets more than regular comforters, feel claustrophobic in vehicles when the air isn’t on, love chai tea lattes and pretty mugs, and 6:45 is when my body naturally likes to wake up. I always get excited when I can confidently say a new thing I learned about myself.

I can’t wait to see what 24 has in store for me and what great lessons come out of moving to a new state and starting a new job! There should be so much in store on JessofEarth this year (I am personally looking forward to the day I finally decide if my blog is title JessofEarth or Jess of Earth, haha).

Jess~