21 Thoughts on Being 21

3. Build and maintain relationships with your family

I've learned these are the most important relationships you can have. I have been blessed with many wonderful family members, and this doesn't mean my family is without drama and problems. I've learned family will always be there, even if it gets rough at times.

4. Don't let other people tell you who you are

There are many times in my life where people told me something I liked was "weird" or "stupid" or just plain "wrong." These people, for some reason, thought their opinion was authority. This doesn't go hand in hand with "not conforming" because you'll always be conforming to something, and that's not bad. Like what you like, do what you love, and don't let other people tell you what those things are. If it makes you happy, that's all that matters. Haters gun hate. Let that hate bring them down, not you.

5. Our mistakes don't define us, it's how we recover from them that does

I think one of the biggest mistakes you can make in life is letting a mistake define you and take over your life. We were born to make mistakes, it's how we learn. Fall seven times, stand up eight. Do yourself a favor, and stand up as a different person, a better person, than you were before.

 6. Home is now behind you, the world is ahead

This concept is really weird to me, and I only started feeling this way this semester. I realized I've past the point of having a physical "home." I have memories and people that will always make me feel at home, but my life now is a series of places, people, things, and events. I'm past yearning for "home", now I want to take on the world. I want adventures.