Words of Wisdom.

So today I've been thinking about a lot of things, but there's a dominant idea that keeps coming back.

"Let it be...Speaking words of wisdom..."-The Beatles

What I have learned over my lifespan. Most of it being from high school and college.

I guess now that I'm turning 20 on monday I've been going back lately in seeing how far I've come in wisdom and overall progress. What I'm going to talk about is in no particular order of importance, but what came first to my mind.

1. Relationships, (like your 1st job) aren't all they turn out to be. Okay, so I probably don't have the proper authority considering I haven't had an "intimate" relationship with a guy for more than a day but there are a few things I have learned for myself. I guess from what I've been hearing about from a plethora of places has influenced what I know. Basically, don't have over the top expectations. It will save you later from unnecessary pains. This will also apply to friendships as well. Just remember that people come and go, but the ones that are meant to be in your life will find a way to stick around.

2. High school is a huge joke. Depending on who you talk to, anyway. If you were an individual who was very active in school sports, clubs, or student government, then you were probably one of the lucky ones who really enjoyed the high school years. I will say that I'm not bashing too much on high school-there really were some good times (I played tennis with some pretty awesome individuals). Mostly for me it was a very long journey of trying to figure out where I belonged. Yes I struggled with depression. I'll be honest. Despite everything, I'm glad I went through it. It's definitely a one-time experience though.

3. College is so much better than high school. In my opinion, it is. I will admit that higher education is not for everyone. There are plenty of very successful figures that dropped out of college and ended up being famous and happy with their lives. For the rest of us it is quite a ride. If you're the typical college student, you move out and away from your family and your home town. I'll say again that I don't have the proper authority in expressing how different it is, but I think I have a pretty good idea of what it would be like. Even though I still live at home with my family, I face pretty much the same challenges as everyone else.

Ain't that the truth!

Like the above picture suggests, you can only pick two. I cannot tell you how true that statement is. It takes skill to balance out everything. Myself, I balance working part time, time for sleeping, personal time, studying, and then my social life outside of work and school. When I first started college, I quickly came to find out why sleep was a precious thing. There's a very limited amount of it. You'll never really fully understand until you try out the college life yourself.

4. Institute is a god send. I am here to tell you right now that attending institute as minimally as twice a week makes such a large difference in your week. Honestly, I feel like I get more things done when I take that extra hour out. Contradictory? Maybe. It's worth it. I have learned so much from all my instructors. Institute really is for your benefit. Right now I'm serving as class president for my Book of Mormon class. I haven't had a more meaningful call, I think. I feel so important and I contribute to the lives of those ten people in my class. Institute=happiness.

5. Always be true to yourself. No matter what. Don't leave your religion at the door. Sure peer pressure is hard sometimes. Don't let it get to you, though. Because later, you'll be glad you didn't. Do what you want to do! Who the heck cares what they think? Being yourself is a whole lot easier (and more fun) than trying to be someone else. You're special. No one is exactly like you. Not even twins are the exact same. Everyone is their own person who has much potential to contribute good into this world.

6. Church keeps us on track. It's definitely there for a reason. For me, it reminds me of why. Why is it that we live our lives the way we do? What is the whole purpose of our lives? What happens to us when our time comes to a close? These things are things I hope to be able to share with people one day on a mission.

Sorry about the long post. Hopefully you enjoyed it though!