So I've finally reached 25 or as my kids from work like to say halfway to 50. I never thought I'd be where I've ended up in life but I can't say I'm too mad. I've seen things, explored & learning great life lessons. As the years go on I learn to accept where I am & see how much I've grown from the previous year. I learn not to put all these expectations on myself and instead have goals that I would like to reach & work hard for them. I'm currently a free agent in life where I don't have any big responsibilities or things holding me to one place so I feel free to roam & explore. However, 25 is such a momentous year cause it's the mid-20s, a time when you want to figure your shit out & build some sort of foundation for the years to come.

Last year I enjoyed my birthday all the way in London, England & hung out in Europe for 2 weeks & a half. That was great and all but this year I decided to keep it low key but still fun so I just planned a bunch of different outings with all my different groups of friends. I went to karaoke which was a hilarious & GOOD night. I can't wait to go back & sing my heart out! I also went to a chill dinner, a fancy dinner & afternoon tea at Chateau Laurier. It was a great start to this next chapter of my 20s & I did the most every night, dressing up like people haven't seen me before & beating my face pretty well.

I also composed some lessons I learned in my 25 years of life. I did 20 lessons & 5 things I would like to do/work on/implement from now on.

Lessons that I've learned

1. Learn to say no to people from time to time. You don't need to exhaust all your energy, especially on things you don't want to do for people
2. It's okay to invest in things you want & to spoil yourself -if you can afford to do so of course. I always say work hard & play hard or in this case spend lots
3. Everyone stresses & as you get older you deal with a lot more stress so you need to be able to find a coping mechanism. Make sure it doesn't involve spending so much money & it's healthy. For example, listening to music (I made myself a playlist), exercising, meditating, etc.
4. Live your best life especially in your 20s when you have no kids or big responsibilities. It is your time to be young, dumb & stupid; travel, experience shit, take risks
5. Start learning how to take care of yourself such as: staying fit, eating healthy, finding the right face routine for you, how to style your hair in many different ways, learn how to put on makeup for occasions, learning the difference between dressing formal, business casual, & casual
6. Be your own person. You were created to be this completely different being than everyone else. Even if there are people who don't like you for who you are, there are other people who will. Everyone has something unique about them so never change & be the best version of yourself
7. Stop judging people for the choices they make in life. If you don't agree with their choices that's fine, it's not your life. If you, however, feel like you should say something because you are their friend or can't not say anything, go for it but just make sure to be respectful on how you deliver your message. Accept whatever choice they make with your advice. They could take it or not & that's okay & you can still be friends. You must also remember that it's okay to cut people out of your life that you feel are judging you & making you second guess yourself; it's okay to say goodbye. Always remember that their path isn't your path EVEN if you guys are doing the same type of work or what not everyone has their own path.
8. GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. If you never try anything you will never know the options that are out there and can't grow in different aspects of your life. I get it if you're super anxious or may not know how to go about trying new things, then what you could do is find a friend who knows you well & can introduce you to new things that aren't too overwhelming for you
9. Learn to clean up after yourself, at someone's house, at a restaurant, at your own home, etc. My biggest pet peeve is when I go out to eat at a fast food place or even at the movies & people just leave their mess behind. HELL NO. I worked in the industry & sometimes people leave the nastiest mess & it's annoying to clean up after them. Yeah, it's our job but you guys can pick up your tray or garbage & throw it out too. Same thing goes for when you're at people's house. At least make the effort to go throw your garbage out & put your plate in the sink. It's a nice gesture that's appreciated. Plus, when you move out of your mom's house, you're gonna have to learn to do it anyways
10. Which leads to knowing how to live without mom & dad. Learn how to do laundry, cook simple meals at least (& eggs & noodles don't count), clean your house & washroom, know what kind of medicine to take when you're sick & be able to function because your parents always aren't going to be there & your husband/wife ain't their to pick up after you
11. Be able to distinguish what toxic relationships are & to get out of them. They are the unhealthiest type of relationships & come in many different forms. You can find them amongst your friends, family, significant ones & sometimes in the workplace.
12. Find friends that support your dreams & ambitions and don't get jealous when you're doing better than them. You'd also want them to push you to do better and vice versa 
13. Learn when to keep pursuing a relationship & when it's time to stop & leave because you should always know what you deserve. If you don't get the effort you keep putting into the relationship then it's not worth your time
14. Learn your limits & when you can push them & when you need to slow down. Always remember the older you get, the more sleep you need and the more things you should do to take care of yourself
15. Learn how to do all kinds of things & be a jack of all trades. Skills that are helpful are great too, such as learning how to put air into your tires, change tires and being able to handle pressure in situations
16. Take risks in life. Risks teach you a lot & it may work out but sometimes there are things you can't risk because it puts you in compromising situations
17. Do things with a goal in mind so you're not aimless & unproductive. Sometimes I will have days where I want to get things done but am not quite sure what I need to do & what is important, which is frustrating because I end up not doing much. So I feel like having an agenda & use it daily to stay on track is important 
18. Don't wait until a certain age to get your whole life together. I feel like we fuck around too much in life for so many years and then when we are in our mid 20's we freak out & try to figure it all out & quickly. Learn how to pay off debt before it gets outta control, build your credit early on, ALWAYS keep track on what's going on & don't just leave it to figure itself out (I know waaay too many people who do this; no idea on how to deal with their finances or what to do if they have to deal with it). Don't worry everyone else your age be in almost the same boat. However, don't let that keep you comfortable you will eventually be in charge of other lives if you ever have pets or kids so handle your finances well. (if you have no idea how to handle finances learn or ask someone who does because debt can get you quick and ALWAYS remember, it's not free money & you have to pay it off)
19. Don't compromise your plans & life for other people especially if it isn't in your benefit. I am queen of this & still tryina balance it all. Sometimes I know I have so much blog work to do & probably shouldn't go out but the plans sound fun & I tell myself I'll do it later, which I never do. Sometimes people also like to guilt you into coming out & to disregard your plans & things you need to do, YOU DON'T' NEED TO GO especially when your shit is a priority. Make sure you also let people know what you need to do (not that you need a reason to put yourself first) & that you have to focus on your shit that day. Going out & having fun is great but on your terms. Sometimes we gotta work on shit & chase our dreams; PRIORITIZE YOURSELF it is your selfish years anyways.
20. As millennials we LOVE to keep all our options open & not commit to anything. This goes for our relationships, friendships, jobs, big investments and we kinda have nothing to show for it in our mid 20's. We have to stop being so scared of commitment & start doing more than we are. Just because we commit to something for now doesn't mean we are stuck forever; there is always a way out. My friend gave me a good example; we're stuck in a hallway trying to commit to the right door out of endless choices; it's the same as when we browse Netflix all day but end up rewatch a show we've seen a thousand times. You grow & learn in life when you make the wrong choices & learn from it so stop being safe & stuck in your ways.

1. Learning to ask for help when I need it & not pushing myself to my limit especially when I'm getting overwhelmed in any aspect in life because I always play the card where I have too much pride or am too strong to ask for help & it's so unhealthy
2. Learning to have self care days & take care of myself before I am pushed to my breaking point  
3. Learn how to budget & pay bills on time because nothing is gonna make life harder more than having shit credit, not knowing how to manage bills & having too much debt. i talked about it up top but I feel like it's an ongoing thing in life until we get debt free & learn how to budget properly
4. Learn how to confront issues & be able to call people out on their shit opposed to waiting
5. Learn that stress is temporary but the reward is worth it especially when you get older all the great accomplishments we will do is after so much stress and hard work so we have to be resilient to get to where we'd like to be.