Reflecting on the past few years, especially the last two, here are some life lessons that I like to think made positive changes in my life
At 19, Im still really young and I have a lot to learn and I bet some of these will change with time but yeah
Be more open minded
I grew up in a religious family so from a young age I was programmed to really think a certain way. Everything about my childhood focused on religion and anything that didn't I was pretty much sheltered from. High school was a huge change. As I went through high school I learned a lot more. I took a step back and sort of moved away from religion and started to think on my own. Instead of feeling programmed I started to develop my own ideas and opinions on things which I think was really big for me.
Care less about other people's opinions
I used to care too much about what other people thought of me and this prevented me from doing things I liked and showing who I really am. I used to think that people were super judgmental and anything you do would be used against you. I realized that thinking this way was having a negative impact on me and it was really making me unhappy. Even though Im finishing up my first year of college, it has really should me that 1) dont care too much about other peoples opinions about you and 2) no one gives a stuff anyways
Try new things
I grew up in a really small town that no one really left. I was/am content with living a small town life and have a fairly regular schedule. But when I met my girlfriend about 2 years ago, she was so different than me. This made me go out and try new things. I decided that I wanted to experience more. "Live more" I guess. I basically said "forget it" and broke out of my repetitive lifestyle. I tried new foods and new activities I would have never considered doing before.
Don't be afraid to fail
An old man who was one of the most positive influences in my life passed way from cancer 2 summers ago. Before he died he told me that "if you're afraid, you won't get anywhere in life" and I really believe him. Fear stopped be from doing things and trying things because I was afraid of failing. This ties into the try new things too. I stopped letting fear hold me back from things. Hell, was I nervous making these videos for this big internship? Yeah I was but I told myself that I could do it. And guess what, they loved the videos. I thought about quitting for a minute, saying that these videos were too difficult to make but then I decided that I didn't want to lose this opportunity.
Explore more
I'm serious. Just go out and explore more. I live in a pretty wooded area and some of the coolest, most beautiful places I've seen have been down these random dirt roads. My girlfriend and I would just drive around, find a random road, and see whats down there. Really cool and some dangerous experiences haha.
Make less excuses
I used to make excuses of why I couldn't do something all the time. Mostly due to fear. This goes back to the trying new things and not being afraid to fail. Then I decided that I wanted to see what was out there and experience more so I stopped making excuses. I'm trying to get onto the track team at UMass. It's gonna be tough but I believe I can do it . Im not making excuses. I could say, Well I havent run in a while; or Well I missed my junior year of track in high school; or Well I didn't do great at the state meet. I have a million reasons I can use but I'm not going to because even if I can't make the team I know that I didnt make any excuses and that I worked my ass off.
Drink more
Water. Its good for you
