What My 20s Have Taught Me Thus Far...

          Yes I know I'm only 23, but my 20s have taught me A LOT about myself and life in these 3 short years. Here is just my top 5 thus far...

1. What looks good on paper might not look so good in real life.  This applies to careers, relationships, pretty much everything. I've learned to look past just the credentials and perks of something (or someone) and focus on how I really feel about what's actually there.  You could have the best job or person in the world, but if your heart is no where in it, its not going anywhere. 
2. Now is the time to focus on you.  Everyone says college is usually where you find "the one" and I was all on that train until things started to fall apart and I realized, how could I spend my time and energy trying to please someone else when I didn't know quite all that makes me happy?  Being by yourself is not many people's ideal situation, but now as a single young professional, being by myself has taught me more about me than being with someone could ever have done.
3. Let Go, Let Flow.  I have learned to love and live by this motto.  Throw caution to the wind, tune out what others have to say, and just go for what you want (all in moderation of course).  For too long I worried about others approving my decisions and choices but its not their life to live, its mines.  At the end of the day its me who has to live with myself so that is whose opinion matter the most to me.  And I gotta tell you since letting all that go, I haven't felt this stress free since, ever.
4. Being honest is the best gift you can give anyone, especially yourself. Where does lying and denial get anyone?  Nowhere.  Life is too short to waist time on lies and denial, just be honest with yourself and others around you.  If there is nothing to hide, there is no added stress to cover up and hide. All that energy now can be used elsewhere.  Its actually becoming increasingly difficult for me to tell a lie and I couldn't feel any better. 
5. Shit happens and life goes on.  How does that saying go? 'Things you can't recover; the stone once its been thrown and the words after they've been said.'  Well in life things happen, mistakes are made, but life goes on.   There's no use in crying over spilt milk, but wipe it up already and go on about your day.  I found that I wasted too much energy worrying about the past and not enough on making my future better.  Its time to flip the script.

          Like I said before I'm not even halfway through my twenties but I'm sure there's plenty of more lessons to be learned.  To the next 7 years and beyond.