For some reason, I've been falling back into my typical pattern of introspective thinking but its happened a bit sooner this time. The thought: If you had to lay out what you've learned so far, what would some of your life lessons be?
1. Every situation has options. Some are good, some are bad... but I haven't found one yet that doesn't give you a chance.
2. Don't lose ground. Whatever your choices, figure out the ones that allow you to keep the most ground or push yourself a little bit foreward through life. There's no reason to start over or work from the beginning again. There's always a way to make it through.
3. Attitude honestly is everything. Go into anything with a negative attitude and your results will be subpar. The more you let things go and try to look on the positive side, no matter how miniscule, the better off you'll be. If you can stop and say "I can make it through this. This won't be the end of me", it'll be that much easier. Best combined with the idea that you've always got options to get you by.
4. Family doesn't need to be blood. Some can say their friends are just that... friends. But I've got friends that are more than that. The ones that have been there and will be there, no matter what comes up. The kind you can call up some random idle tuesday with whatever problem you may have. If you find anyone like this, I don't give two shits where you go in life... keep them around.
5. Don't plan every little detail. Setting goals are good, but damn if nothing ever goes exactly according to plan. So don't bother... and be flexible enough to work with whatever comes your way. Even if that means changing your goal.
6. Life isn't linear. Granted, our age might be uni-directional. But as nothing ever goes according to plan, neither will your life go the way you think. So if you're at one point in your life and wondering why you're not at another... Stop. Take a deep breath. And enjoy where you are. It's your life and you're allowed to live it however the hell it works out. Sometimes those odd places we find ourselves in are exactly where we need to be. Even if we don't know it yet.
7. Don't settle. Ever.
8. Never lose that naivety or yearning to learn. It ensures that you won't fall into mediocrity and boring routine. Life is all about that exploration and not letting others dash our dreams. My favorite saying I've ever heard is still... Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish.