Ahhh to be 21. An age that has so much emphasis and expectations. Since I'm nearing the ripe old age of 22 I thought I'd share the 21 lessons I've learnt in the last 21 years. 

1. Always smile. You may not be in the best mood, but that doesn't mean that other people have to be at the forefront of it. And who knows, a simple smile can make anyone's day and even change yours.
2. Holding a grudge doesn't help anyone. Letting go can be one of the hardest things; but once you do, it can be one of the most freeing feelings. However forgiving doesn't mean forgetting. Those are two varsley different things. 
3. Start saying yes. YES! Time to exit that square box you've been living in and explore everything you've been missing because you were too scared, self conscious or even (I'm even guilty of this) too lazy. 
4. Becoming an adult is a good thing. Everyone says to enjoy being young while you can. Yes being a teenager was fun and it had it's good moments. I would never go back though. I like having responsibilities, earning money and having more freedom. Compared of course to being stressed with exams, broke AF and having my every move questioned by my parents. No thank you! I'll take being an adult any day.
5. Chocolate can fix anything. Chocolate and wine of course. These two thing can fix anything and everything, well, for a good half hour at least.
6. Fuck the haters! Someone judging you? Making you feel inadequate? Fuck them! You don't need that negativity in your life. 
7. Don't let Debbie downers hold you back. Speaking of negativity, don't you hate Debbie Downers? You know; those people who always find something to whine or complain about. Ugh, epic eye roll. No matter what, unfortunately there'll always be people like that around. You can't always get rid of them, but you can ignore them! 
8. It's all in the little things. Ahhh the little things. They're the things that make all the difference. These 'things' are often the things make make moments the most memorable in your life. 
9. Appreciate your parents. I'm the first to say that at the worst and even at the best of times that I definitely don't get along with my parents; but that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate everything that they do for me. It's often that we forget the sacrifices that our parents make for us and for that I am forever grateful. 
10. Love your siblings. Trust me when I say that my sister can be a real pain sometimes; but let me make this clear. Me and ONLY me is allowed to say that. No one else. Sure I fight with my sister all the time, but I will always love her and defend her. 
11. Do onto others what you'd want done to you. Karma is a thing. I've witnessed it first hand. It may not come straight away but know that the say is true. What goes around, comes around!
12. Mates are everything. Where would I be without friends? Secluding myself in my room 24/7 that's where. I adore my friends. They have been there for me for the good times and the bad. These friends make me happy and because I surround myself with them I stay a lot more positive because of it. 
13. Make new friends. Not just making new friends but even just meeting new people in general. One of the best experiences in my life was my recent contiki trip in Greece. While Greece was ah-mazing the best part was meeting such amazing people from all over the world! Don't be scared, put yourself out there! 
14. Luck and fortune are two very different things. I'm very fortunate in my life to be somewhat successful at my age. I know that people mean well when they say that I'm lucky. But what 'lucky' can sometimes mean is that everything just fell into your lap. In my case I worked very hard to be where I am today, therefore fortunate to be in the position that I am. I'm fortunate that I have been rewarded for all my hard work. 
15. Language matters. Words are everything. Sometimes we say things that we don't mean but unfortunately they still hurt. It's important to process your emotions rather than right up react to them. Trust me when I say you HAVE to process before you react. You'll really say something that you'll regret. 
16. Hard work does get rewarded. It's true when they say that if you work hard in life, you'll go far. Maybe not in the start, but if you keep working towards your goals, the rewards will come. And once they do, it'll all be worth it. 
17. Change is inevitable. I don't understand it when people tell me that they don't like change. You can't stop it, so why put up a fight? Change can bring brand new opportunities that you'd never expect. Embrace it, don't fight it. 
18. Heartbreak comes with love. Heartbreak (for lack of a better word) sucks! But it's an emotion that we all go through and it lends itself for being a great life lesson. Just like when there's good, theres bad. The same goes for love. Where there's love, there's heartbreak. Not always resulting in the breakdown of a relationship, but a farewell, a goodbye. They can all result in heartbreak. 
19. Failure is key to success. No one ever experienced success on the first go. Failure builds character and allows us to learn from our mistakes. NEVER be afraid of failure. 
20. Not knowing what you're doing is okay. Like I wrote in another blog post, not knowing what you want to do in your life is okay. Hey, I don't even know what I'm doing half the time. I'm just going with the flow right now.
21. Spread the love. Believe me when I say that this may be the most hippie thing that I have ever said in my entire life. The only way to defeat hate is with love. Think of the person that you absolutely hate and you both just treat each other like shit. Imagine if one day you treated that person like you would a friend. That relationship may get better! Even if it doesn't, in the end you're going to look like the good guy and they're just going to look like an asshole.