Ah, 21. The age of adulthood. The age where you realise this life is yours and you better look after it. Here are some things you should have learnt before turning 21, but if you’re anything like us, didn’t.

1. How to budget properly
No more splashing that cash! It’s time for rules.

2. Knowing your limits
This isn’t only when it comes to  drink, but also taking care of your body. When you’re 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.

3. How to 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 thing every night.

4. 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. It’s ok in moderation, but junk food should be a reward or a way to treat yourself.

5. Eventually things will catch up on you
Whether it’s you’re metabolism,  lack of sleep or you’re total neglect of exercise, it will all catch upon you.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. Maturity doesn’t happen overnight
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.

10. Don’t worry so much about what people think about you
There comes a stage in your life when you really just don’t care 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.

11. Nothing ever lives up to your expectations
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.

12. 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.

13. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help, we’re all in the same boat
Odds are that you’re not the only one who needs it, so 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. If you in a dark place its always better to ask others for advice on how to get out of it.

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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 meantime but don’t settle for what you have if you really want to go further.

17. It’s better to have a few great friends than loads that you can’t count on
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 them and you will always return the favour.

18. It’s better to have bad 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.

19. If you think they’re the one they’re most likely not
As the saying goes, love is blind but there is much more to a relationships than you think. It’s not always those that are a perfect match that end up being with each other in the end.

20. Just be 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.

21. 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.

via our content partner CT