24 Lessons I've Learned in 24 Years

Birthdays are one of the most precious events in most people’s lives. Some consider it as a start for a new year, It’s an opportunity to start fresh and move forward. People reflect on their previous year with all the ups and downs and set new goals to fulfill. Today marks the anniversary of my birthday. I turn 24 and this time I decided to reflect on my life and the lessons I learned throughout these years and maybe you can share with me the ones resonated with you most. 

1- You are worth it 

Don’t ever underestimate your potential and what you’re capable of doing. The less you believe in yourself, the more negatively it affects you. Don't listen to those who try to bring you down and believe in yourself more. 

2- Never compare yourself to others 

As you are reading this, I can tell you that we both compared ourselves to someone throughout our day today. This is a reminder for us to just STOP and be content with the way we are and the things we have. It’s more about who we are from the inside rather than what we have. 

3- You are a work in progress 

You learn on a daily basis and it adds to your knowledge and understanding. Always appreciate the little things and develop yourself because nothing is wasted. Learning and knowledge is 

4- Believe in yourself 

No one will believe in you the way you do. When you lack confidence, it reflects on whatever you are involved in and it can bring you down. 

5- Self-love is important

I believe that whenever something goes wrong, we tend to go hard on ourselves and it never feels good. You must feel content with yourself and love yourself the way you are. It’s okay to be imperfect, nothing is perfect anyway. 

6- Forgive and forget 

As humans, we go through hundreds of things and people can make us feel bad or angry. Sometimes it’s not very easy to let go and we spend years wondering why they hurt us or made us feel bad but the answer is to forgive and forget. Everyone we meet during our lifetime is a lesson and we must take the best of it. 

7- Dream big

Dreams come true once we believe in them. They become goals when we begin to work on achieving them. Still, dreams give us a purpose and meaning to our existence. They have the ability to bring dead souls to life and nothing feels better. 

8- Stop overthinking

Close friends and family know well enough that I am a master at overthinking. Sometimes I can feel that my brain is about to explode and as if I am carrying a heavy load on my shoulders. It brings out the worst in me and believes me, it’s terribly ugly. However, I taught myself how to take it slow and embrace the outcome as it is. Let things happen the way they are meant to be. 

9- Be the change you wish to see in the world 

Mahatma Gandhi said it and we must live by his words. A lot of people A lot of people spend so much time thinking that they need to change the world when they should start with themselves. once we start with ourselves and change our mentality and I will persona and how we address things only been looking at me change applicable otherwise it’s an impossible mission. 

10- Learn from your mistakes 

No one was born perfect even the people we follow on social media and we envy them sometimes for the perfect life they’re living, trust me, they have struggles too. Our job is to make mistakes that would pave our way to life with lessons and morals that we pass them to our children. 

11- Enjoy life to the fullest 

I’m the type of people who would worry way too much that I ruin the moment for me and I regret it every time. A few years ago, I started to take it one step at the time and enjoy whatever I have in hand and it felt good. I felt inner peace, 

12- Embrace Rejection 

Sometimes when we apply for a certain job, internship, or any project that we are highly interested in; we get a rejection letter and the hardest part is when it happens more frequently. It finally puts its toll on us. I’ve been in this position and it wasn’t easy. I advise you to embrace this phase and I assure you that rejection is an evidence that your hard work will pay off. 

13- Nothings goes according to plan

 I am one of the most organized people and I plan almost everything daily. I feel nervous whenever something doesn't go according to what I planned and I become someone else completely. If you are like me then try to let it happen as it and take it one step at the time. This is life, it is not a plan and we need to cope with everything. 

14- It’s okay to fail

In order to be successful, you must fail multiple times until you reach your goal. It is part of the process but it will all be worth it when you make your dream come true and you will appreciate failure and learn from it great lessons. 

15- You have more time than you think, use it wisely 

Can you count how many times you blamed it on the lack of things/skills you have? Plenty! Whenever anything doesn’t work the way we want it to because of a skill we lack or an object we don’t have, we start coming up with excuses to make ourselves feel better. In fact, we need to make the best of what we have and use it to the fullest. Learn more and don’t stop. 

16- Nothing is impossible, don’t let people tell you otherwise 

We are capable of beyond what we think we can do. Always push further and ask questions and look for answers. We are not meant to live a boring and already answered life. We must look for more answers and add to this world anything that can be passed on to generations to come. 

17- Your voice matters 

Yes, it matters. Make an impact and be one of your community’s change makers. Let others hear you through your work and aspiration to speak up for others and say it loudly “I AM HERE”. Your voice makes a difference. 

18- Never say never 
It would be weird to jump to conclusions without trying first. You have to understand that anything and everything is possible in life. You can be whatever you want but once you have the strong will to do so, nothing can stop you. 

19- Surround yourself with supportive and inspiring people 

It’s one of the things that helps me develop and make the slightest difference, it is the people I know. It’s not about the quantity but the quality. Positive and inspiring people are great motivation to feel different, in a good way. 

20- Create your own happiness 

A wise man once told me “You can make your kind of happiness don't wait for the happy news, make them." For me, that was like a wake-up call for me because I didn’t realize that I was connecting my happiness with someone/something. Don’t set back and wait, it won’t help. Meet some friends, treat yourself, and do things that make you genuinely happy. In the end, you deserve it. 

21- Be yourself 

No matter what you go through or the people you meet, don’t lose yourself to please others. Stick up to your values and never compromise, no one really matters but you. If people cannot accept you the way you are then it is their loss. 

22- Don’t let others bring you down 

It happens most of the time when someone just wants to ruin the moment so they say anything that can bring you down. Those people will never disappear but no matter how hard they try, don’t let them break you or degrade you. You are worthwhile and prove them wrong every time. 

23- No one lasts forever 

 People come and go in life and whoever we come across, we must learn from them. We are supposed to lose people but only those who care much about us will remain until the end. I used to get too attached to people that it was a struggle to let them go and move on but I learned my lesson, did you learn yours? 

24- Spread love and kindness 

My last lesson represents two feelings that I always carry in my heart and these are love and kindness. Let people remember you with the love and kindness you hold deep within you and pass it on along the way.