23 December 2017

Emily 2.0


Less than 2 weeks. That is how long I have left of being 19, a teenager. I'll be a fully fledged 20-year-old with all the responsibilities and life lessons that come with hitting your twenties- a lot happens in your twenties!
And yet, I'm fine with this. If I'm totally honest, I feel more ready to be 20 than I was to be 18. I feel like it's a better fit for me. I've never been one to go out until 4 am, more the sort to sit in a swanky bar and drink cocktails (or at home in my PJs with my dogs watching Sleepless in Seattle) 


 
Will I miss my teens? For sure. I've loved the last 7 years, but I am ready for the next, very exciting, chapter. I will say, however, I have learnt a lot in the last 19 years. I've been lucky enough to have travelled all over the world, make some life-long friends, go to university, move away from home and am slowly edging my way to becoming more of an "adult", whatever that means...

Obviously, there's learning to walk, talk and whatnot. But I've learnt a lot about myself and feel quite proud of how far I have come (not to sound cocky or anything). I've been extremely lucky to have a huge range experiences, with many of them teaching me very valuable life lessons I will teach my own children one day. 

A very important one, that's not always nice to learn, but by no means less important, is the lesson of friends and people, in general. My mum has always told me: friends are like waves- they'll come and go. She is SO right. As we grow older, quite often, our friends and us will grow apart, or "change category". One friend you thought would be your bestie for life, might end up being the sort of friend you'd meet up for a coffee a couple of times a year and talk about benign things with. This is by no means saying you or they are bad people, but you just grew apart. On the flip side, people you weren't that close to at school end up being the ones you stay in contact with for years to come. 

I've also learnt not to compromise on me. I'm not going to change the way I am to fit into a certain crowd, or to get a particular job because, frankly, I think I'm worthy of that level of self-respect. If someone doesn't like me for me, then I don't want to be associated with that person or group. They can jog on. I am by no means perfect, heck nobody is, but I acknowledge and respect my own flaws. As the wonderful Dr Suss once said: "those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind". 

Lastly, I've learnt that work ethic speaks volumes about a person. If you work hard and stay positive, good things are sure to go your way. If someone tells you: "you can't-do something", work that bit hard to show them why you can. Go prove them wrong girl! 

For me, your 20s is a time to really go and explore, try new and exciting things and push yourself that little bit more, in every way possible. 
I guess the final thing to say is: thanks, teen years, you've taught me a lot.  I welcome in my twenties with as much sass and style as 3-year-old Emily, I could learn a lot from her. Here's to being 20!



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Emily
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