21 Things I’ve Realized At 21

Chanced upon a Thought Catalogue article about 21 Things I’ve Realized At 21, and I could relate to some of her points. I also realised that I'm turning 22 in exactly a month, what better time for a cheesy reflection right? So here's my 21 things.

1. Travel. Travel a lot. This year I've travelled to 22 cities in 11 countries. I'm very thankful and blessed to have those opportunities. It doesn't have to be long trips to the other side of the world, most of mine are spontaneous weekend trips. Although I did take a couple of long trips. Make full use of your summer break, find opportunities to do summer school, volunteer or backpack abroad. You don't need a lot of money to travel, start small, then go further if you have the means. 
2. Count your blessings, every single day. If you are 21, you are officially an adult. So stop taking things for granted, because life don't owe you anything. At the end of each day, you can chose to be thankful for all the good things that happened or blame the world for your ill luck that day. I urge you to chose the former, not only does it makes you happy, be thankful to other people make them happy too. 
3. If something makes you happy then just do it. If you like shopping, then shop till you drop. If you like spending hours surfing the net, just do it. If you are like me, if you prefer staying in on a Friday night watching rom coms, do it by all means. If it doesn't hurt anyone and it makes you happy, then why not? 
4. Call your parents regularly. If you are like me living abroad, or even living in another city, you should make it a habit to phone your folks once a week. Check in on them, see how they are doing, update them about your life, share some interesting stories. It doesn't have to be an hour long conversation, 15 mins will do, just to let them know you are doing fine. It doesn't matter how old you get, you will always be kids to them and they will always worry. 
5. Stop worrying about what other people think of you. You can't live everyday worrying about what other people think. Isn't it tiring to live life just to please others or not be judged? I spent the first year of university conforming to everyone else's standards and I was miserable. Do the things you like, wear the clothes you like, because that's all that matters. 
6. There's nothing wrong with crying. I cried more times these this year than in my entire life. I cried about guys, I cried about exams, I cried about being homesick, I even cried about life. And I realise it's okay to cry. It's not weak, it's human nature. Don't keep feelings bottled up inside, let it all out, I promise you that you will feel better after that. 
7. Quit analysing messages. Never ever ever over analyse messages, especially not messages from guys. Most of the time they just mean what it's written. Don't ask your girlfriends, don't ask other guys, don't ask Google. Because it will drive you crazy. 
8. Don't be afraid to say goodbye. I learnt this the hard way. Be it breakups, graduations, farewells, or anything, don't be afraid of goodbyes. They say endings are the start of a new beginning. Sometimes distance make the heart grow fonder, and I testify that. People who love you will always love you doesn't matter where you are. 
9. Study hard. Way to many people deem studying to be uncool, often associated with nerds and geeks. I find witty people very attractive, in fact there's nothing more attractive to me, than intelligence and personality. I don't mean to say study your ass off and disregard all your social life. Study smart and play hard. For most people university is the last official education before entering the workforce, so why not make the best out of it? Ignore the social rules, stereotypes, and be the smart and intelligent person you are. 
10. If if feels right then just go with it. If you like a guy and he likes you too then go for it. If you have the opportunities to study abroad, go study. If you feel like taking a particular module then take it. Don't be afraid just because it's foreign, it may be the best thing that's ever happend to you. Because life's too short to live with what ifs. 

I decided to stop at 10 because 21 is way too many. Go read the article if you want more points. I guess these are my top 10 takeaways from this year of being 21. I learnt so much more than this, because it would take pages to pen them all down. I want to say it's my favourite year so far but I know there's much more to come in the future. 15 days more to my favourite month of the year, I can hardly wait.