20 things I learned being 20

1. You don't have to choose what you're going to do for the rest of your life at 18.
Its totally natural to feel pressured into choosing a major/college/career right after you graduate high school. Spoiler alert, you don't! Its okay to go to school with your major being undeclared. Feel around different things, find out what you like. I promise, things will go better and will leave you a little less stressed. You'll find that the things you wanted to do, may not be the things you truly enjoy. Same with the things you don't see yourself enjoying, you may love it. Or, if you don't feel like going to school right off, don't go. It is your personal choice. Don't feel pressured to do something that you think you should be doing.

2. You don't have to like your job.
Guaranteed, you'll find a job at some point that you absolutely hate. That's totally okay. What's not okay is showing up to work and making it show that you hate your job. For example, customer service. Oh, people know if you hate your job, and things will not go smoothly a lot of the time. We gotta do what we gotta do.

3. Don't feel ashamed of being sexual.
Sexuality is something that's looked down upon when you're 18. You're supposed to be ashamed and embarrassed of it. Well, screw it. There is absolutely not a damn thing wrong with being in a sexually compatible, consensual, relationship. Or, maybe it's not necessarily a relationship. Maybe you're just two people having a 'thing'. As long as you're able to make your decisions, its consensual, and you set boundaries, don't be embarrassed of your sexuality. But please keep it at one person at a time, STI's and STD's exist, be aware and educate yourself on it.

4. Call your parents.
Just do it, especially if you live away from home. Trust me, sometimes you just need to talk to your mom or dad whether you know it or not.

5. Go to the doctor.
Do it. Not for the sniffles or like a mild headache, but if you have a serious issue with whatever body part, go to the damn doctor. Even when you don't feel bad, make an appointment every 5-6 months. Keep your health in check. College years are stressful. Hell, being an adult is stressful. Keep yourself healthy.

6. It's okay to not workout everyday.
I see all the time, girls going into college and making sure they count calories and go to the gym 4 hours a day. Guess what? You don't have to! Shocker, I know. Working out doesn't have to be this hellish experience that you dread. If you want to go, then go. But if you don't feel like it that day, then don't go. You're not going to die if you skip a few days (weeks).

7. Speaking of exercise, exercise for you, not for your boyfriend/girlfriend.
Pressure to be thin is an everyday thing here, unfortunately. But if you're with someone you love/loves you, don't go lose weight because they want you to. If you want to be healthy and better yourself, do it for you. And do exercises that you enjoy, not the ones that 'work best'. If you're doing an activity you enjoy, it won't be a chore. Don't let anyone pressure you into thinking you're not good looking enough or good enough because you don't look like a model.

8. Know how to change a tire.
It really isn't hard to do, and once you learn how to do it you'll be able to do it again. It is a very useful skill and there will come a time in your life when you need to do it.

9. Don't worry if your significant others' parents don't like you.
Take it from me, being in a relationship where your S/O parents don't like or respect you, is freaking tough. But honestly, from all the experience I have had, the best thing you can do is just focus on you. No matter what, there is always a chance that their mom/dad/brother/memere/great aunt/ whatever will not like you. If you are not doing anything to them, if you are not treating them badly or disrespectfully, chances are the problems are their problem. If they choose to find something to not like about you, it is NOT your problem to convince them otherwise. Because once they decide to dislike you, you will probably never win them over. You're happy, your boyfriend/girlfriend is happy, your life is good and your relationship is going great; why sweat the small things. Its not a big deal. Stop trying to impress them, focus on you.

10. Put down your phone.
Put own your phone while at dinner. Put down your phone when someone is talking to you. Put down your phone in class. Honestly, is face book stalking people more important than what is going on around you? That just gets me, put down the damn thing and experience face to face contact.

11. Take your vitamins.
I take 9. Plus multivitamins sometimes. You need to keep yourself healthy. Take your vitamins to not only keep the sick away, take them because they do wonders for your body. Vitamin D helps with depression. Biotin helps with skin, hair, and nails. Fish oil helps keep fat off your heart. Apple cider vinegar can help detox, plus it helps balance the good/bad bacteria in your 'lady bits'.
I mean, do I really need to go on?

12. Stop feeling guilty about eating dessert.
If you want to eat a piece of pie at 11 p.m., go for it. Stop making yourself stress over the fact that you are human. Repeat after me.. You. Are. Human. Humans like food, right? Humans like sweet things, right? Then go eat something! Eating a pie today, and eating a bowl of ice cream with sprinkles three days later will NOT make you blow up. I promise.

13. Dress how the hell you want.
If you want to wear short shorts, freaking go for it. If you want to wear a long skirt and a turtle neck, go for it. Stop letting ignorant people make you feel bad about dressing how you want. But of course, please keep it below your anatomical crotch, you can get fined for that stuff. And you know what? If sexist idiots decide to whistle at you, or try to grab at you, you have the right to tell them to fuck off. If guys can wear jeans down below their manhood and walk around shirtless, then you can wear some shorts and a t-shirt and own it.

14. Don't worry about being single.
Being single is not a bad thing. Stop constantly looking for someone because you feel shitty about being single. (Side note, don't let people make you feel bad about being single). It is perfectly okay to focus on work, school, family, friends, your cat, etc. Things will turn out in their own time. Don't force it, and own the fact that you have a little extra freedom that us tied down folks don't have.

15. Realize that the world doesn't care about you.
It sounds harsh, I know, but let me explain. Everything you do today, anything you'll say, anyone you'll see; in a year will anyone remember? Highly unlikely. Things happen, people change, the world keeps turning.

16. Everything that happened in high school, doesn't matter when you graduate.
You were the ;queen' of your school? No one cares. You were the best looking guy in your school? No one cares. You were a big track star that 'everyone loved'. No one cares. Things change once you leave high school. How many times do my friends and I talk about what happened in high school? Almost never. half of my friends didn't even know where I went to high school. So, don't be that person to live in the glory days because it will not matter how 'hot' you were at 17.

17. Learn how to make a resume, write a check, do your own taxes, balance a checkbook, etc.
I was lucky, I learned all that in high school. A lot of places don't offer classes like that. But, Google it if you need to. These are very important things that you need to learn how to do in your adult life.

18. You don't need to laugh at things you don't find funny.
Okay, this one sounds weird and a little silly, but hear me out. Most of the time, people don't know how to make people laugh without having a friend, family member, random person being the bud of the joke. If someone says something that offends you but thinks their funny, you don't have to laugh. Ladies, if a guy is not funny, you do not have to laugh at what he's saying. Just trust me, you'll understand what I mean at some point.

19. It is okay to have trouble loving yourself.
News flash, its okay to not love yourself. Its okay to not necessarily like who you are at all times. I don't like myself most of the time. But you know what? You deserve to love yourself. As you get older, things change. Body parts move and sag, your butt deflates, you may not feel like some 'hot' 18 year old anymore. And that's okay! What's important is that at the end of the day, no one is going to love you and your body as much as you, and you gotta embrace it. Respect yourself and realize that your body is beautifully different, and that truly loving yourself takes time. But focusing on the positive instead of the negatives will slowly make you love yourself.

20. Know you're going to inevitably lose people in your life.
How many of your best high school friends have honestly tried to keep in contact? How many have you tried to contact? Its not often high school friends stay friends in college and throughout adulthood. That is okay! You get older and the people you spend time with are not always going to be your 'bff' from senior year. It will happen at some point. You lose contact and you get busy with life and school and new friends, then you blink and its 5 years later. Don't fret the inevitable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJGUbwVMBeA

;) Enjoy.