16 Things I've Learned in 16 Years

As I look back on the past 16 years of my life, it's hard to say what's been the best of it all. With a great family supporting me, friends that care about me, and a heavenly Father that loves me, my life up to this point has been a blessed journey. And with these years full of different and new experiences, I've been able to learn a few things. Here's just 16 various pieces of that advice that I've been taught. 

1. ​Wake up on the right side of the bed. Every morning.
2. Mind your manners. A firm handshake, a positive attitude, a nice smile, and a “hello”, “thank you”, or “have a nice day” go a long way. 
3. Do everything to the best of your ability. Lazy people never get anything done (at least not anything good). 
4. Exercise. It’s the best medicine for a headache, stress, and depression. 
5. Eat good. Food is alright, and so are those rolls on your stomach. 
6. Make it a goal to laugh and make others laugh at least once a day. That way no matter how bad of a day it was, you have that one moment to look back on.
7. Pray all day everyday. God hears you, loves you, and wants your heart desperately.
8. Never act on anger. Wait at least 24 hours to cool off. Then, re-assess how you feel and how you should act. 
9. Don’t judge people, get to know them.
10. Do what makes you happy. There isn’t enough time to do anything else. 
11. It’s okay to not be okay. Take a long shower, eat a tub of ice cream without regretting it, watch the notebook, take a long nap, listen to sad music.
12. When going through trials or tough situations, face them with confidence. You are never given anything that you can’t handle. 
13. You’re worth dying for. Don’t treat yourself as anything less, and don’t lower your standards for anyone who thinks  of you as less than this. 
14. You’re stuck with the same family for the rest of your life, make them some of your best friends.
15. Find solid friends. Ones that you can laugh with, jam out in the car with, have deep conversations with at 3am, that will stop anything to hang out, that will be a shoulder to cry on, and that will encourage you to rise up after the difficult times.
16. Never waste an opportunity to tell someone that you love them. 

I could go on with the different things I've learned, but these have to be some of just the top few that I've come to live by. Through the amazing family and friendships that I have, I know more opportunities to learn more and experience more will come my way.