1. Most of what you hear is just noise. Let it go. There's a lot of BS in the world.
2. Going out to "find yourself" is a crock. Yes, it helps to get experience, but really, it's all about being an adult, i.e. making decisions - deciding what you want to do, instead of the traditional Hollywood reactionary tale. You are the CEO of your life: you call the shots, you make the choices, you put things into action. If you want power over your life, start choosing what you want, then make a plan & get to work. It's not rocket science, but it's really easy to go into drift mode & just coast and not think about it.
3. Family > all (money, job, hobbies, etc.)
4. Everyone is a hypocrite including you, so cut people some slack. We are all jokes, so don't be so hard on other people.
5. Disconnect your Internet & put your phone in airplane mode during Steam sales.
6. Everyone is full of BS. Up until high school, I really thought that everyone else knew what was up & had it together except for me. It dawned on me that everyone was faking it. We all put on masks in public. Acting confident isn't the same as actually being confident; most overly confident people are idiots, and people who are truly confident are that way because they narrow-focus on something in particular that they get really good at & are actually comfortable in doing well.
7. There is no such thing as normal. Every single person out there is screwed up some way - some people's flaws are just more visible than others. EVERY family is dysfunctional. And everyone else looks normal except you & your family.
8. Even if you choose not to act or choose to make poor decisions, you still have to live with the consequences. If you don't put in effort, don't expect results. If you're not consistent, the only one losing out is you. I'm not really explaining this the way I want to. Hmm.
9. You're not going to live forever. Do things you like (in a responsible manner) before you get too old, i.e. don't save everything til later. You ARE a special snowflake; don't treat yourself like something common or like just another cog in the machine - you have an incredible life to live. You are on earth at the right time and you have specific gifts to share with the world. If you want to feel good, develop & share those talents.
10. No one cares, life isn't fair, and there are plenty of people are out to screw you over. That is reality. That doesn't mean there isn't happiness & that doesn't mean you have to selfishly put yourself first & live a self-centered life, it just means don't expect the world to be a rosy place 24/7 because it isn't. One of my favorite quotes is "be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard fight". Everyone's lives are customized to push them to the extent of their ability to handle in order to help them grow up, so what is easy for you may be incredibly hard for someone else, so don't judge them because they're simply at a different point in their path of life.
11. Don't talk negatively about people. It comes back to haunt you.
12. 99.9999% of our problems are of our own making, especially if you're American. If you are willing to put in some effort, you can overcome just about anything. If you're really honest with yourself, you'll realize pretty much everything is of your own doing. There are exceptions (getting cancer etc.) but for the majority of things that I complain about & that I hear other people complain about...it's fixable if you want to work at it, and preventable if you're willing to do the prep work.
13. You will always have a job if you are (1) willing to work, and (2) will to relocate (move!).
14. Don't feed the trolls (unless you're bored & need cheap entertainment).
15. Providing service is our MO for happiness. Use your talents for your job if you can. It's easy to get depressed if you never contribute, and it's hard to be happy if you're not doing whatever it is you were designed for. I get a lot of satisfaction helping people in my day job as a computer tech because it's something I'm good at & it's something that really helps people, which makes me feel good. So it's almost a bit selfish, but really, providing service to people in some way is very fulfilling. If you don't get that at your job, go help out at a soup kitchen or something like that Living a self-centered life just isn't very fulfilling. If you're able, doing a job where you can really exercise your talents gives you a daily dose of whatever that dopamine hit is that you get when you're doing something you're good at to give back to the world. Even if it's something simple like working retail at a part-time job & helping people find what they're looking for, it's important to do that on a regular basis.
16. You absolutely will get screwed over, multiple times in your life. Suck it up, cut your losses, and move on. There will always be people who are going to be crappy to you, sometimes in really serious ways. Drop it overboard & sail on with your life.
17. Learning to manage money is a critical skill, as money dictates what you are able to do with your time. If you're a spendthrift & make yourself stay poor, then you're forced to work all the time. Gaining more skills, education, and actively searching for more opportunities can lead to a better paycheck & a more comfortable lifestyle with more free time to do what you want, even if it's just to chill & watch Netflix or nef here. Most people don't want to think about it & are content living paycheck to paycheck, no matter how much money they make.
18. As long as you keep trying, things always have a way of working themselves out. Quitting & giving up is what the stops the show.
19. There is someone awesome out there for everyone.
20. Attitude is the first key to everything. Read "Attitude is everything" by Jeff Keller. It's amazing how many people have great lives & think life is the pits simply because they have a crap attitude.
Probably some more stuff but I'm hungry so I'm going to find a snack now.