An Education.

Today is day 23 of the Blog Every Day in May challenge: things you've learned that school won't teach you.

1. Don't construct your self-worth on those around you. I used to be the most insecure person you would ever meet. It got better in the later years of high school, but didn't really taper off until college. It was at its worst in middle school; they were rough years for me. I didn't know who I was, so I defaulted my identity to match everyone else's. I was so unhappy, and one unkind word could shatter me. But over time, I learned who I was and who I wasn't. In part, getting to know yourself requires an absence of fear, at least it did for me. Fear paralyzes any action that is required of you in a situation. I had to get rid of the source of fear and when I did that, I was free to stand up and start building myself.

2. How to be fiscally responsible. Yeah, yeah, there's that one week in school where they teach you how to balance a check book, but it doesn't go beyond that much. But nothing kicks your butt into shape like paying for college yourself... (I did that for two years).

3. Don't be afraid to say no... and don't be afraid to say yes! There's not much explaining necessary for this one. Know yourself and be aware of each opportunity or choice. If you feel like it's wrong for you, then it probably is...(and vice versa).

4. Do not wait until the timing is perfect, to have all your ducks in a row, or the right amount of money in the bank....that time will never come.

5. Don't project your fears and failures onto other people. The week before my wedding, I had someone approach me about my future marriage. "Are you sure you want to be doing this? You're so young..." First of all, how dare you? Second, this goes back to points 1 and 4. People spend all of their lives mulling over their mistakes and regrets, and instead of moving on or resolving those issues, they project them on to the choices that other people make. They are making a huge mistake because a) that person is not them, and b) it's incredibly rude and insensitive. Needless to say, whatever relationship I might have had with that person ended that day.

6. Don't take shortcuts. Someone I admire very much used to tell me that there are no shortcuts to any place worth going... and he was right.

I would really love to hear about some of the life lessons that you've learned along the way!

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