This past week was my 20th birthday (yay, I am slowly growing into my personality!!). So, here is a list of twenty things I have learned while I have been on this earth.
1. Though you may hope, people cannot (and probably will never be able to) read your mind. Even when it's awkward, you need to state your feelings or emotions for people. They may get offended or upset, or even embarrassed, but it will be better in the long run.
2. When surfaces are hot, DO NOT TOUCH THEM. Your body will be very upset with you. And on that note...
3. Wear your sunscreen! A year ago, I wanted to feel all cool like the rest of my family, so I didn't wear any sunscreen. The day was overcast, so I figured I wouldn't need to. Well, I was completely wrong. I ended up getting the worst sunburn of my life, and to this day, I still have distinct lines of my back from it. So, be safe and wear your sunscreen.
4. Laugh at yourself: life will get ridiculous, and painfully embarrassing, and you'll only be able to get through it when you're willing to laugh at your own stupidity. I mean, it's something I have to do ever day.
5. Sometimes, all you can do when life gets rough is eat some ice cream and watch some movies. Afterwards, you may feel better, you may feel worse, but at least you got some ice cream.
6. Do not go outside in the winter with wet hair. If you do, it will break and fall off at times, and it is pretty weird and uncomfortable.
7. Drink water, even when you think you don't need any. You'll be happier later if you do.
8. It's okay to get defensive over things. I get defensive about my sports teams, music, and whether or not Iron Man or Batman count as superheroes (they don't, they're vigilantes). It's okay to find something your passionate about and defend it.
9. FIND SOMETHING YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT. It can be anything (well, not anything, find something good), and be passionate about it. It can be bikes, movies, rocks, plants, bands, WHATEVER, just be passionate about something.
10. It's okay to cry. Honestly, I spent probably 75% of my mission crying, happy crying, frustrated crying, sad crying, really all the kinds of crying. And at first, I was so embarrassed about it, but eventually I learned that it is just a part of who I am. So, it's okay to let the tears flow, even if you feel a little ridiculous.
11. You're most likely going to have at least one terrible, and I mean truly awful, haircut. Don't stress over it, it'll grow back.
12. Not everyone is going to like you. No matter how hard you try, you can't get everyone to agree that sometimes you can be a good person. So, learn from what others did not like about you, and find ways to keep becoming a better person.
13. When in doubt, dance it out.
14. You cannot buy friends, but you can bribe people to be your friends with some cookies or other baked goods. It sounds awful, but it's true...
15. Try to do something each day that scares you. I had a friend (shout-out to Sydney B!) who challenged me my senior year of high school to do something each day that scared me. I was like "heck no!", but I still did it. I have learned so much more about myself since that day.
16. Things are usually not as bad as you think they are. Okay, so, I suck at dating, right? And so when I have to talk about dating with people, or go on dates with people, I start over-analyzing everything about it (yay for anxiety). Well, I have learned that things are never really as terrible as I make them up to be. So don't sweat it.
17. Find something to believe in. I don't care if it is God, gods, the earth, a bug, whatever. Find something to believe in that helps you become a better person.
18. Serve others. It can be hard at times to have a desire to help others, but the reward is much better than anything you can imagine. Serving others can help you forget about your own problems, even for just a moment.
19. Be kind to all. Be nice to the waiter, to babies, to old people, to everyone. I mean, why wouldn't you want to be a nice person?
20. Learn to rely on the Lord, and be willing to use the Atonement of Christ. I used to think I was strong enough to handle things all by myself. Guys, that is so wrong. I could not have made it this far in my life without the gospel of Christ, and the Atonement. God loves us all so much, and we can turn to Him with everything. Honestly, I have asked God about so many different things: friendships, school, food even. And each time, He answers me. We need to rely on Him to make it through the trials we face, and remember that we can feel His love through the Atonement and repentance.
Well folks, there you go! There are twenty life lessons from yours truly.
XOXO, Sydney
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