20 Things I Learned by the Time I Turned 20...

I could write some long winded intro about the list I'm about to throw at you but I'm not going to.
I've learned a few things in my 20 years and a handful of months and I'm gonna share 'em.

Sweet and simple.

1. Being drunk is not an excuse for shitty behavior. Ever. "Sorry I was drunk" should not be given as an excuse for acting poorly and should not be accepted as an excuse that someone tries to give you. Control yourself. If drinking turns you into a bad person don't drink. There. 
2. Messing up is okay. Sometimes you don't get the grade you worked for or the job you wanted. Messing up is okay. It's okay. Everyone does it. If you make a mistake and you learn from it then you will be a better person in the end. It's called "failing forward." Fail. But use that failure as a springboard for progress.
3. Learn to appreciate being single before trying to commit your affection to someone else. If you aren't happy single then you aren't happy with yourself. Nobody can make you happy with yourself besides yourself. I firmly believe that. 
4. Appreciate people for who they are and not who you want them to be. I struggle with this. So bad. But putting unrealistic expectations on people to be something that they are not creates a lot of pressure for them and a lot of disappointment for you.
5. Beware the people whose charming qualities start to become annoying. Do not read that as "beware the people that do things that annoy you on occasion." There is a difference. For example: Laziness can disguise itself as a chill and laid back attitude. 
6. Intentions behind actions can mean as much as the actions. A question I'm trying to remember to ask myself when someone does something that pisses me off is "Why are they doing this?" Sometimes people rub us the wrong way with purely good intentions. Naggy mom? She's doing it because she cares. Even if it is annoying.
7. Pursue your passions. Pretty self explanatory. 
8. Stand firm in your values. They make up a large part of who you are, and places like college really test your values. Don't let stupid stuff like college change who you are or what you value. 
9. The little things matter.
10. Empathy is a dying character trait. As time progresses people are becoming less willing to put themselves in the shoes of other people. So many problems could be avoided if people would just take a second to see a situation from the other person's point of view.
11. If you screw someone over apologize as soon as possible.
12. Nurture the friendships that are important to you. Don't be afraid to cut off the ones that are holding you back.
13. Slow down. Living fast means dying fast. Take some time to appreciate the scenery. 
14. Work hard and play hard. In that order. 
15. Focus on your strengths and stop trying to mitigate your weaknesses. You'll have a lot more self-confidence that way.
16. Give back. Volunteer. Do what you can to make the world a better place because this is the only world we have (until we colonize Mars). Go out of your way to make those less fortunate than yourself have a good day. You'll never regret it.
17. Be a kid sometimes. Even if you can legally be tried as an adult in the court of law take the time to be a little (note that I said LITTLE) immature. You can have fun as a young adult. Or at least that's what I'm told.
18. If you can schedule a nap time for yourself DO IT. Just do it.
19. Laugh at all the sex jokes they hid in the cartoons you watched as a kid. Understanding them means you're growing up. Growing up can be shitty sometimes. But not when you realize Spongebob and friends told a lot of dirty jokes when you were younger (Sandy Cheeks in Bikini Bottom? I rest my case). 
20. The meaning of life is whatever you make it. Nobody lives the same life as somebody else. So nobody decides what the meaning of your life is but you. Do what you feel in your heart whatever it is you were put on this planet to do.

I'm so wise. 

Today I found on Tumblr

This seems familiar...