10 Things I Wish I Had Known At Seventeen - Series (Part 2)

     There are a few things I wish I would have been able to tell myself when I was Seventeen because they would definitely have helped make life easier. So now that you're seventeen, as you read this,  think of it as a letter from your future self: to you:

1.  Learn to save money, it's really going to help you in the future. You don't need to get everything you want. Most of them you can live without, and eventually you might be able to save up for that trip to Spain you've always wanted.

2.  Take care of yourself. Build good hygiene habits; brushing your teeth, taking your bath every morning. A lot of college students fall into the ritual of deodorant. No one wants to walk around, or beside someone who smells like a potent plant. You can only cover up so much odor with deodorant.

3.  Study, like your life depends on it. Because in a way it does. Imagine spending all that money  in school and coming out of it and not remembering anything. Besides, if you don't learn how to now, further in life - in college, it's going to haunt you when you HAVE to, so start now.

4.  Learn to cook. Again, useful. You'll thank me later if you're in college now, or when you get to college and you notice more than a few people have never boiled an egg.

5.  Find out what your passions are and live them, do them if they make you happy, and set a few goals for yourself too. Don't waste them.

6. Life doesn't always turn out the way you think it will. There will be a few failures and at least one major turn around  or thing that doesn't go the way you thought it would. It's okay, don't beat yourself  up about it. It's another chance to learn a lesson, and grow. And realize life will be life.

7. Be careful what you post online. Not everyone needs to see that picture of you smoking weed like. It's not exactly "cool", at least it won't be later when you look back on it. Plus, future employers won't be too happy.  (It happens, they do check your social media)

Also: Do you really need to reply to that comment?

8. Respect people - your parents, your elders. They know a lot more than you do about life, and you don't know who's gonna give you your beak or be of help when you least expect it in the future.

9.   Read, read, read. Be knowledgeable about a few things. It'll do you good when you get into conversations with people and can actually talk about things


10. Ask for help when you need it. If you have boy trouble, talk to mom. If you need help with math, ask dad. If you're confused about college, ask a teacher. And for goodness sake, ask questions in class if you don't understand something because teachers are there to help you. And even if they don't want to at first if you pester them they'll do it reluctantly, but they'll still do it. So ask!
 (17 things I wish I knew at seventeen, the odessy)