16 Lessons
1. Your parents call you so much because they love you. Your age is irrelevant; you are their baby. They won’t be around forever so cherish the multiple calls and the sometimes haranguing advice they dole out to you. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.
2. Beauty is subjective. So stop comparing yourself to this girl and that. You are beautiful in your very own way.
3. Appreciate the little things. They are the ingredients that make up life.
4. Do not mistake kindness for weakness; strive to be kinder and more caring but at the same time, do not allow yourself to be taken advantage of. Some people will do that. Because some people are assholes.
5. Own your feelings. Even the irrational, PMS-induced, sleep-deprived ones. Just because they might not always be logical does not mean they are not yours. Just don’t be a bitch about it, alright?
6. Apologising does not make you a doormat. It actually makes you a certified Badass.
7. There is more than one way to do things “right”; it is doing the right things that are most important.
8. Big, glittery goals are fine, I guess. But it’s the smaller achievements along the way that get you there and often go unnoticed.
9. Take a break. There will only ever be 24 hours in day no matter how frantically you try and beat the clock.
10. Many of life’s inconveniences are ephemeral and perspective is your friend and . Acquire some so that next time you want to burn the house down because you lost a sock in the dryer; you can remember that in the grand scheme of things, it is a sock.
11. Better to be on the outside and be yourself than be “in” and struggle to mould yourself into a clone of something or someone else.
12. Some people really are just assholes. There’s no reasoning with them so don’t waste your precious time and energy trying. Assholery is a debilitating affliction.
13 He/she/it/they are not perfect either and neither are their despite what they would have you believe.
14. Failure at some things is inevitable but it is not the end of the world. It is simply the rung you step on to scale the ladder.
15. Getting enough rest is just as if not more important as eating properly and exercising. Don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep.
16. Invest. Money, time, creativity, energy into the things you love and those things that will yield a financial, emotional, spiritual or physical return.
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Stereo. 20-something aspiring bon vivant. London based. Exceptionally Nigerian. Partial to snark. My default setting is "wry". Jeans and blazers are my uniform. Landlady. Speed reader, tuneless singer, hoarder of words, drinker of Schloer; I am suspicious of most people, have zero tolerance for tomfoolery, have a vast DVD collection, worship at the altar of Al Green, own too many bottles of nail polish, have small eyes, small ears and giant hair and owe approximately 86% of my awesome to the Parents Typewriter.
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Where was this list when I was 30 years younger? So wise, so true.
I am especially impressed/drawn to the truth of your statement “Some people really are just assholes.” Mainly because it ties into something it took me far too long to figure out, “no matter how hard you try, some people just aren’t going to like you. Deal with it and move on…”
One more thing, this reads like a book outline. When can I expect to see it on the shelves of my local book store?
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February 10th, 2012 at 13:39
Thank you, Mark. And it took me SO long to get my head around the idea of inherent assholery and the fact that some people cannot be won over. Still have to remind myself of these truths daily.
Lol um, I can’t make any promises about the book
I sowwie.
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I like #6. Mastering the art of the apology (and knowing when to give one) is something so many people struggle with, but it’s one of the most important and liberating things we can do.
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February 10th, 2012 at 12:08
Completely agree. I don’t subscribe to the thinking that it makes you weak – on the contrary, apologising is one of life’s most difficult tasks.
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I think if you had given me this list 10 years ago, I would have laughed at you and called you insane. Maybe that means I’ve grown as a person, or maybe it means I’m a real slow learner.
Either way, I think it’s a pretty damned good list of basic truths.
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February 10th, 2012 at 12:07
Seems like common sense, right? A lot of these are being made more and more apparent to me as the days go by. If you’re a slow learning, I am but a snail in your wake.
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Amen, oul Sister. Funny how long it takes us to actually Figure.Shit.Out.
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February 10th, 2012 at 13:40
Figuring shit out is something I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing.
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I could really, really use a good night’s sleep. Good thing to remember, all.
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February 10th, 2012 at 13:37
A good night’s sleep is something I crave. I do my best to be in bed by a certain time but unfortunately, there’s usually something that keeps me up
This has to change.
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This is my 2nd time coming back to this list and I think I will be back again…and again…and again.
I’ve been thinking about myself and #4 and how I must continue to be as kind as I am while being especially mindful of those who may be taking advantage it. I’m grateful for this extra reminder.
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February 10th, 2012 at 13:36
Having seen loved ones burned by this (as well as myself); I’m extra mindful of it now. It’s such a shame that we have to be but there it is.
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All so very true!
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February 10th, 2012 at 13:42
♥
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Number 6 is my absolute favorite.
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#6 reminds me of the idiocy that is Love Story.
And as for #10… the thing that has surprised me most about growing up is how so many things can become a sock given enough time. Perspective is powerful.
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February 13th, 2012 at 02:39
Also: YOUR DAFFODILS.
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This was the one for me… 5. Own your feelings. Even the irrational, PMS-induced, sleep-deprived ones. Just because they might not always be logical does not mean they are not yours. Just don’t be a bitch about it, alright?
Sweet sweet wise words.
Thank you x S
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