Life

21 Things You Still Haven't Learnt At 21

21 is seen as the age where you are officially an adult, with that comes greater responsibility. After 21 years on this planet you think you have it all sussed, you couldn't be more wrong. There are still plenty of things you have to learn to survive in the real world. Here are the 21 things you still need to learn at 21.

21) How to budget properly

All your life, you never truly valued money, it always was something you had and you never had to worry about setting a budget. Now that your 21, money becomes way more important and you have to learn to scrimp and save. You can't flash like you used to,  it's Lidl from here on out.

20) Knowing Your Limits

This isn't only when it comes to  drink, but also taking care of your body. When your young you don't really think much about taking care of your body, but when you get older you start to realise that it's more about preservation.

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19)  How to properly cook for yourself

This doesn't mean making yourself a turkey sambo or sticking a pizza in the oven. It's being actually able to cook healthy food and have enough variety that you don't get sick of having the same shit every night.

18) There is no such thing as a junk food diet

No matter how much you may love junk food or have a sweet tooth, eventually you will realise that you can't actually live eating junk food everyday. Its ok in moderation, but junk food should be a reward or a way to treat yourself.

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17) Eventually things will catch up on you

Whether it's you're metabolism,  lack of sleep or you're total neglect of excercise it will all catch up on you. You can't live like a slob for the rest of your life. Well, you can if you want, but you won't get that beach body you have always wanted.

16) Failure is always an option

You will learn ten times more from failure than you do from constant success, if  everything is rosy all the time you will never see your weaknesses. Failing makes you reassess things and sometimes it can be something really simple that you never saw before.

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15) Being jealous of others is unhealthy

When you were younger you would always be jealous of what everyone else had and as you got older you became jealous of other people. Jealousy is poison and the more you let it consume you the more you lose the sense of who you really are.

14) Being older doesn't make you any less awkward

Just because you're that little bit older doesn't mean your personality will drastically change. If you were awkward back then, odds are you're just as awkward if not more now. You can learn to be less awkward around people, but you can't just expect it to happen.

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13) Maturity doesn't happen overnight

On that same note, maturity comes from experience and you don't suddenly becoming mature just because you're older. Sometimes you have to learn this the hard way but that's ok you're still only a young adult.

12) Don't worry so much about what people think about you

There comes a stage in your life where you really just don't give a shit anymore about what people think of you. This isn't to say you should act like an asshole and do what you want without thinking of the consequences. It's more the fact you don't have to live your life trying to please everyone you meet.

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11) Nothing ever lives up to your expectation

This isn't always a bad thing though, because sometimes you expect something horrible and you're pleasantly surprised. On the flip side, when you spend time building  something up in your head, it never turns out as you expected it to.

10) Don't dwell on the past, so much

It's ok every now and again to take a look at your life and see where you're going, but if you live in the past you won't see what's ahead of you.

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9) Don't be afraid to ask for others help, we're all in the same boat

Odds are that you're not the only one who needs it, don't be afraid to ask for someone else's help, you never know, you might be able to help them with something in return, or if you in a dark place its always better to ask others for advice on how to get out of it.

8) You can't live with your parents forever

As cushy as living with your parents may seem, sooner or later you will have to move out and get your own place. It may seem daunting, but you and your friends can share a place when they all have a job. It's like staying on a tour bus with your mates, be prepared to hate them.

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7) College isn't for everyone

If you're 21 and you have dropped out of college twice already, maybe it just isn't for you. Some people are more suited to going straight into the working world and know exactly what they want to do. They don't have to waste money on doing a degree that won't benefit them in any way when it's all said and done.

 6) Finding a job you love is better than just finding a job

We all need money right? But if you know what you want to do and it's actually viable then go do it. You might have to get other jobs in the mean time but don't settle for what you have if you really you want to go further.

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5) It's better to have a few great friends than loads that you can't count in

Your no longer in school and it's not about popularity anymore. If you have a small group of friends that you can trust and know that they've got your back you don't need much more. They will always be there when you need and you will always return the favour.

4) It's better to have shit relationships now than later on

When you're young it's the best time to break-up with your girlfriend and get back together again. It's the time to cheat and the time to get cheated on. When you get older you have to commit and be loyal and you don't want to end up like the people on Jeremy Kyle.

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3) If you think they're the one they're most likely not

As the saying goes love is blind and we don't see how all though you might get on together really well, there is much more to relationships than you think.It's not always those that are a perfect match that end up being with each other in the end.

2) Just do you that's all that matters

There is so much pressure from the media to look a certain and think a certain way. They're wrong! What makes people attractive is that they have a way of looking at the world. Be comfortable in your skin, we're not all super models, and frankly,we're better off because of it.

1) Your life hasn't turned out the way you expected it, but that's ok

We all have a vision of how our life will turn out and that it will be smooth sailing. It can be a harsh realisation when things don't happen for you, but you shouldn't be deterred. You still have a life to live and make what you want of it, the only thing is that when it's all said and done, you did it in your own way.

Kenneth Fox
Article written by
I'm a musician and a writer, or a writer and a musician, I can't make up my mind, Either way I'm not particularly good at either. A bit of an old fashioned guy, who enjoys the simpler things in life, nothing fancy.

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