BRONX, NY- Yesterday, I turned 25. The same title of Adele’s current album and the age of the quarter life crisis. Mentally, I hit the quarter life crisis a few years ago. To celebrate, I compiled a list of the life lessons I learned. Some are weird and others most of you will probably think “been there done that.”
1. Graduating with an associate’s and a bachelor’s degree felt like the longest academic journey ever with a huge splash of insanity and insomnia.
2. Female DJs and audio engineers work harder to gain respect in the industry (screw you society).
3. Sitting in the front row for a concert no longer appeals to me. Middle seats are better. I have less chances of going deaf. I need my ears.
4. Certain parts of my body hurt when I wake up in the morning and I do not know why.
5. College graduation ceremonies were never for me. They were for family.
6. Getting a job in my field of study right after graduation is a myth for now. Still working on getting my foot through the door.
7. Sleep is a special thing I take advantage of when I make the time for it.
8. Health problems occur at the most inconvenient moments, especially when my health insurance wants to be stingy with their benefits.
9. A planner has become my best friend when I lose control of all the things I need to handle in life. It’s still chaos, but organized chaos.
10. Sticking to a healthy diet takes a lot more discipline than I thought it would.
11. Hanging out with friends takes more effort after getting a full-time job.
12. Keeping track of my finances, especially my savings, is one of the best ideas I ever had. I learned to separate my “wants” from my “needs.”
13. Learning new languages gives me a beautiful perspective on life.
14. Finding true love came with a lot of struggles and sometimes stupid decisions. The Nicholas Sparks films/ novels only showed me the “fluffy” side of it.
15. As an adult I have no shame going to the YA section of a bookstore to find my next great read. Same goes for TV shows and Disney movies. Hakuna Matata!
16. Family will not always approve of the things I do or even the type of person I am. That’s okay. I learned to love myself and that my own happiness counts because no one else can control it for me.
17. Mental illness can affect anyone, especially depression and anxiety. I have struggle with both.
18. Being different is more special than following society’s rules.
19. Music, art, and writing are power tools that have helped me deal with the negativity in the world.
20. Pushing my limits has taught me to leave my comfort zone and see what I can really do in different situations with my skills.
21. Cooking a meal without burning the food, kitchen or myself is an accomplishment.
22. Taking a break from technology is an amazing feeling. Enjoy nature and the real world every once in a while or get lost in a book.
23. The hardest thing for me to do is to forgive myself and others.
24. Friends come and go in life, but those that I have made a strong connection with are always there for me. I may not see them often, but I know if I need them, they come through and vice versa.
25. To make an impact I need to start small before jumping to the big tasks. This goes for every other project I tackle.
Let’s see what else I learn as life continues for me.
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Last Updated: December 27, 2021