Twenty one, the age that so many of us look forward to turning. It's one of the first major birthdays, after 16 & 18 but I think that most people will agree that 21 is much more exciting!
It is such a milestone because you are officially an adult! You can buy whatever beverages you like, go to casinos and take part in the games they offer. You are now legal and with that comes more freedom but also more responsibilities. There is more pressure placed on you and people have higher expectations of you as well.
It can be an age that is scary, you are more of an adult than you were when you turned 18 but you may still feel torn between "teenager" (even though once you're 20 you're not a teen anymore) and full adult, I know I do lol. Adulting is hard and being 21 means accepting and having more responsibilities. If you are still in school like I am and not working full time, that can also add to feeling stuck in between, in between being a student (which may mean you are viewed as a "kid") and an adult. However, it is a very important age, as it goes along with the importance of college too, here I am taking about the non academic-wise importance of college (which will be a whole other post) and having the time to get used to being more independent and taking care of yourself before being out in "real world" that we all find so daunting (slight Divergent reference anyone? 📘😉)
I cannot believe that I've already been 21 for about a month now. 🎉Time is just flying by so fast, it's so weird to think about how we're halfway through 2017 already! I personally don't want the summer to feel like it goes by in the blink of an eye, I decided that I wanted to come up with a list of things that I would like to accomplish or do while I am 21 and I hope to get a good start on them this summer!
So here goes nothing;
21 things I want to do, see, or accomplish while I am 21
1. Travel More
I love traveling and really want to get back to Europe someday as well as visit Asia and the West
Coast of the U.S. There are too many places to name though! I know that realistically I probably
won't be able to do a big trip anytime this year so Vermont and Montreal are at the top of my list
as of now. They are 2 of the more "practical" places for me since they are not too far away.
Picture I took during my travels this past fall!
2. Gain More Confidence
A bit self-explanatory, I have pretty low self-confidence and want to increase it. I want to work
on comparing myself and others less in negative ways, and care less about what random people
think of me (insignificant meaning that I don't know them at all or they are just an
ignorant/unpleasant person)
3. Stick to a Hobby
Such as drawing or painting
4. Spend More Time Outside
Fresh air is so good for you and I hardly ever remember to sit and read outside when it's nice out
rather than staying indoors
A park I came across in Venice, parks can be so relaxing to walk through or sit in
5. Complete an Online Tutorial
Maybe a Khan Academy course that goes very in depth on Excel as a deep knowledge of this will
definitely in my career path
6. Learn a New Skill
Possibly cross stitch (or something along that line)
7. Write More Blog Posts
I often get so caught up with school that I neglect my blog and I forget how much I enjoy writing
posts. I hope that this year I am able to be more dedicated to it and produce content much more
often.
8. Take More Pictures
Even in today's day and age where everything is digital and we have the ability to take out or
phones in an instant and snap a picture I usually find myself taking pictures of things and not
people. And now I don't mean to sound narcissistic but I don't have too many current photos that I
am actually in. There also aren't many current photos of my friends and I or my family.I want to
start taking more pictures of and with people in order to capture our memories.
9. Attend More Concerts
I am someone who realy enjoys going to concerts and music festivals and so I hope to be able to
attend multiple this year.
My sister and I saw Dua Lipa in March during her first U.S. headlining tour! It was one of the best concerts I've been to!
10. Learn More Code
I am hoping to further customize my blog template and just be able to have more knowledge to
do certain things or fix problems I run into
11. Improve PhotoShop Skills
I want to increase my knowledge of PhotoShop and start using it on a regular basis so that I
continue to improve
12. Be Happier
Be happier with myself and what I've accomplished so far in life but remember that I (hopefully)
have long life ahead of me to do more. There's a quote I like that basically says that your
happiness is up to you and you make what you want out of your life.
13. Be More Mindful
To stop focusing more on the future than being present in the moment.
14. Stay Positive
I do not want to let other people's bad moods affect me so much. Moods are definitely
contagious and I don't want to let someone else's influence mine in negative way.
15. Exercise More
I would really like to get into an established exercise routine rather than doing random things on
random days lol I think that a routine/schedule will help keep me more accountable and able to
stick with it.
16. Stretch Daily
Going along with the previous one and because I want to be healthier in general I want to
stretch daily, ideally do a couple stretches in the morning when I wake up.
17. Have More Family Time
Do a bit more with my immediate family, maybe even just having dinner together without the t.v.
on so we "have to" (😄 lol) talk to each other. As I get older I feel time passing by quicker and
quicker and I don't want to always take my family for granted.
18. Be More Eco-Friendly
I always try to recycle whatever I can and be conscious of my impact on the environment but can
always improve. And since the environment is so important I want to learn more about how to be
more eco-friendly and learn more about sustainability.
19. Read More Books
When I was younger I used to read every night before going to bed and I loved it. I loved reading
novels but as I got older and school got more intense I had less and less free time so in high school
I stopped reading for myself (as in reading books other than those I needed to for homework).
Now that it's summer and I do have free time I have fallen back in love with reading and I have
already read 2 books!
Image via Pinterest
20. Play Piano Again
I started taking piano lessons in elementary school and continued all the way through high school.
My lessons were once a week and I obviously practiced on the other days and I definitely enjoyed
it. 🎹 Once I went to college though and was no longer living at home or with access to a piano I
stopped taking lessons. When I did come home to visit it was always for a specific reason and so
I was always busy. I regret that I didn't continue practicing even after stopping lessons. I hope to
start practicing again even though I'm a bit scared to see how much my ability has diminished.🙈
21. Regularly Use a Journal
I use and agenda to write down homework, assignments, and appointments etc. but I've never
really kept up with a journal although I like the idea of it. Sometimes for art courses I've taken
we've had to use journals but I never really continued to use them or fill them up. While I was
abroad I did keep a journal and put lots of things in there however I still did not use it as much as
I would have liked to. I think that they are a great way to document memories and thoughts and
provide a great place to be creative so hopefully I start using one more.
My study abroad journal
I noticed that a trend in this list is that a lot of the items have "more" in them, I guess my motto for my 21st year on Earth could be "Be More:_____" (the blank being filled in with various things) which I think is fitting because those words do imply change and growth and those are necessary things for living a fulfilling life!
Hopefully by this time next year when I look back at this list I will have accomplished the majority, if not all of these things. However some goals will always remain such as continuing to learn new skills, better myself, and being better towards the environment.
What is something you want to do or accomplish? Let me know in the comments below!
Thanks for reading!
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