25 Things I've Learned On The Way To Accepting The Love I Know I Deserve

Is a quarter-life crisis the new mid-life crisis? Maybe. Maybe not.

But when I look back now, 25 years seems like a lot. It's a strange place to be. You are almost here and almost there. It's like you're almost everywhere.

I am sure this would seem ridiculous to 30-year-old me. But I am certain this is relatable to a 25-year-old somewhere. The entire period between 20 and 25 has been transitional. Everything is constantly changing all the time.

The friends you grew up with suddenly have nothing in common with you. You will also slowly realize that people are a lot more superficial. Here are 25 things 25 years on this earth has taught me:

1. Love will hurt more than it can possibly heal, and that's OK.

2. Mom is always right. Well, almost: Every single friend or decision that your mother said wasn't good for you eventually turns out to be true. Swallow your pride, and agree to this one quietly.

3. Never, ever come between lovers. No matter what they say or do, lovers' bruises heal quickly. You'll always be that person who took sides.

4. Always remember that if words hurt, they will also heal.

5. Love is easy. Loyalty is almost extinct.

6. Save money from the time you start making it. It could be as little as $5 or $10. You will be grateful for every penny one day.

7. Get drunk when you're young. Have many nights you don't remember. These are the memories you'll fall back to, time after time. Adulthood comes with an unfamiliar sense of being responsible.

8. Make at least one friend who you can trust with your life. Keep him or her safe, too.

9. As you grow older, you'll realize that trust is not a word you use as much as you did when you were younger.

10. Don't fret before taking a leap of faith. You may end up on a cemented concrete wall most of the time, but it will calm your impulsiveness in the long run.

11. Don't give one man the chances that you could give seven other men. No, you don't need seven other men. But you most definitely don't deserve that one.

12. Education is important, but so is experience. Don't ever let one overcompensate for the other.

13. The parents you resent in your youth eventually become the only ones who understand your madness later. The apple never falls far from the tree.

14. You will stop doing the things you love. You will give up on hobbies and other favorite things. You will miss them terribly. Yet, you will do nothing about it.

15. Not many things will excite or sadden you. You may have, by now, bridged the gap between surprise and shock.

16. You will realize that elders don't know a lot of things. You will suck it up and shut up about it.

17. Questioning beliefs, religion, faith and feelings will become a part of your daily conversations.

18. You will avoid people a lot more than you ever thought you would. Sometimes, you will even avoid people you really love. Alone time is suddenly your favorite time.

19. There'll be some old wounds, and the pain will never subside. You will fondle these wounds until they start bleeding, and then, you'll Band-Aid them secretly.

20. You will question every decision you've made. You will realize that your life right now is a consequence of those choices.

21. You will give a f*ck about how you look and how many calories you take in. You will take better care of yourself.

Writing this a few years ago would've been ridiculous, as I had never run a mile before. But here I am, running every day. As Jim Rohn would say, "Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live."

22. You will get over Internet quotes. We see inspirational quotes like "Everything is better in retrospect" and "What lies ahead is better than what's left behind" online. Somewhere among all of them, I realized I shouldn't be trusting Internet quotes to steer my life.

23. Read books. Read blogs, fan pages and instruction booklets. Read something.

24. Do not have too many platonic relationships. They are beautiful, and just like with everything that is beautiful, there is poison in abundance.

25. Love yourself, no matter how long it takes or how tough it looks.

Love yourself. Love yourself like you have loved the guy who broke your heart, how you have loved the one who got away and like you've never been hurt before. Love yourself because on some days, you are all you have.