27 Things I Learned Before 27
Yesterday I turned 27 which somehow feels so old and not old at all at the same time. I’ve learned a lot and also learned nothing really, but I think it’s kind of nice to know there’s so much of life still waiting to be lived. Last week, my best friend and co-host of At Whit’s End Podcast, Maggie Walch asked me to come up with a list of twenty-seven things I learned before turning twenty-seven, in a Taylor Swift 30 Before 30, Elle-style editorial. If you’re interested, here’s what I came up with…
There is a silver lining to almost anything and sometimes, when you look back, the things that went wrong in life may have inadvertently triggered the dominos to some of your happiest moments. Sometimes I like to play a game where I look back at a moment that might have disappointed me and then trace it forward to see how that situation may have indirectly triggered something amazing. I realize that's weird but hear me out, it’s actually really comforting. I can confidently say that some of the shittiest things that have happened to me have also lead me to incredible people and opportunities that I would never have otherwise come across.
You can eat the skin on a kiwi and you don’t have to buy all the bananas in the bunch at the grocery store. I really wish someone had told me that before my freezer was full of enough overripe, uneaten fruit to make banana bread for an army.
There is a certain fear associated with drinking after 24 and knowing your playing Russian roulette with your hangover. Also, Long Island Ice Teas are always a mistake.
There are people in your life that you think will be around forever and they won’t be and there are others that will surprise you and be there for life. As the saying goes, friends for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. The right people will always find their way to you when you need them most.
Bras suck and should only be worn when absolutely necessary.
It’s amazing the things you can accomplish when you believe in your own success and stop being your own worst critic. Which I guess is my way of saying fake it till you make it.
Friends that can be trusted advisors and also make you laugh until you cry are rare. To have even one in your life is a blessing but to have many is something very few people can claim, hold onto them.
If travel has taught me anything it’s that there is far more good in the world than bad even though often the news will have us believing otherwise. In every corner of the world, you can find common ground with those you meet if you just take some time to listen to their story.
Putting pen to paper and writing down your thoughts is one of the simplest and most cost-effective forms of therapy, as is dancing around the kitchen to Rasputin by Boney M.
Being able to follow a trend doesn’t mean you have style and someone should really have told that to my choker-wearing, 21-year-old self.
Some things, like reading or art, are better left as pure joy and not turned into something that needs to be marketed or monetized. The world has become a place where every passion is deemed worthy of being a side-hustle, I wish we could all remember that sometimes loving something is enough.
All relationships, romantic or not, are work, and putting that work into people that don’t or can't give you what you need will leave you feeling depleted. There is no shame in walking away from relationships that no longer serve you.
There is no greater joy than receiving something in the mail and this might be why I’m addicted to online shopping.
Making mistakes is human. Which I understand will have a lot of people being like "duh" but it was a big one for me. I'm learning to come to terms with human error and understanding that its not possible to flawlessly execute life day in and day out. Plus, our mistakes make us relatable, no one can relate to a robot.
You can Uber just about any distance if you try hard enough but the longer your trip the higher the likelihood your driver will try to add you on social media.
Vulnerability breeds closeness and sometimes you never know how your story may help someone else and how much that might help you in return. Some of the things that I've been most afraid to share with people have become the glue that keeps us close. You may think that someone won't be able to relate to what you're saying but I've learned that a lot of us are just walking around afraid to say "Hey wait, me too."
People in your life can serve multiple purposes and no one person needs to fill them all. The person that inspires you creatively might not be the person you're going to throw down with at a party and that's fine. No one needs the pressure of being someone's whole world.
Self-improvement isn’t something with an end goal, it’s an ongoing project to be better than you were the day before.
Taking your own advice is hard and it’s even harder when you’re stubborn. I say this as an incredibly stubborn person. Feedback is an important part of growth and that includes being able to listen to yourself, even when you really, really don't want to.
Saying no and learning when to walk away can be freeing.
Sometimes the things we think need to be fixed about ourselves are actually our greatest qualities in disguise. I'm a perfectionist to a fault and a professional over-thinker and while I can acknowledge that there is room to improve those qualities I can also acknowledge that these same traits are the roots for some of my best qualities, I care deeply and I do my best to act with empathy in every decision I make.
The key to a good exercise routine is as simple as finding the things you love doing and listening to what your body needs day by day. Also, spin classes were invented by Satan himself.
The mute button was the greatest technological advancement of the 21st century. I firmly believe that our social bubbles have gotten way too big to be healthy and there's a big part of me that is nostalgic for a time when we didn't know that that person in our eleventh-grade math class just got engaged. It's too much information to absorb and too many voices that we feel the need to prove something too. The mute button has been my saving grace in eliminating a lot of that noise. It’s not rude to be selective about the people you choose to engage with.
Octopuses have beaks and it’s a fact that will always unfailingly make me uncomfortable.
There’s no such thing as growing up, none of us will ever be totally confident we know what we’re doing and that’s life.
Leaving your phone in a different room when you go to bed at night will change your life and sometimes being a bad texter isn’t actually a bad thing. Any true friend won't mind that it took you 8 hours to answer their text, and making a conscious decision to be present and not constantly accessible does wonders to reduce anxiety.
If everyone likes you, it probably means you're people-pleasing. There is a certain bravery in being able to stand up and say something isn't right or that your choices differ from the people around you. Don't hide who you are at the expense of gratifying others.
If you’re interested in listening to the full podcast episode with some additional commentary, you can find it by clicking here!