I’m writing this in my final hour of being 18. It is currently 11pm on the 27th of April 2016 and I won’t be 18 come midnight…sigh. To celebrate this horrendous occasion, I’m going to share 18 important things I’ve learned through surviving 18 years of life!

1. There will always be somebody, somewhere who thinks you are ugly

This is a sad fact but the sooner we accept that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, the sooner we can move on from those marginally brutal comments made by your neighbour’s elderly mum about how “Girls of today are no longer slender” etc. etc.

2. Don’t straighten your hair everyday

The beauty of sleek, straight hair isn’t worth it when 6 months down the line, each hair strand has 5 little ends to it. Turns out the para-cortex doesn’t much appreciate the daily tampering.

3. You can only do your very best

There is no point in being upset because you can’t unicycle in pointe shoes or sing The Flower Duet from Lakme. At the end of the day, if you’ve given it all you’ve got, there is no reason why you or anyone else should demand more.

4. Don’t cook everything on maximum heat

There were 2 incidents in my university flat this year where maximum heat nearly killed us all. Apart from being very embarrassing when your flatmate uploads a picture of your chargrilled cookies, it’s a bit of a waste and a “health and safety hazard” (whatever that means). On the bright side, those cookies are now our flat family heirloom.

5. Be accepting of other people and the choices they make

We had this discussion with one of my best friend’s mums. It’s hard to appreciate or compliment something that you don’t personally agree with – in this case, we were talking about tattoos. You have to remember though, Gina from down the road wouldn’t have gotten her new piercing if she didn’t like it. Complimenting something she’s proud of doesn’t make you pro-piercing, it makes you kind.

6. Try your best to reach out to people

One of the most amazing ladies I’ve met this year lives above me at university. The only reason she is now part of my life, is because one night, after hearing her cry on the phone to somebody, (our walls/floors/ceilings are like paper) I popped a note under her flat door and told her that I was downstairs if she ever wanted to talk. I’m so glad I shoved that little scrap paper under her flat door, because she’s absolutely lovely.

7. Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent

This is my favourite quote; it’s from Eleanor Roosevelt. No explanation required – you don’t need that shit in your life! Cut them out like you rip off a Biore pore strip.

8. Wear what you want, when you want, unless it’s illegal

Life is too short to worry about what other people will think of that orange aztec print cold-shoulder top you secretly fell in love with at the weekend in Town. If you would want to see it on other people, buy it and put it on. You go Glen Coco.

9. Make sure you keep the segments of your life balanced

This is something that really let me down during my A Level exams. Your mental state, your eating and your sleeping are just as important, if not more, than that extra chemical equation you are trying to cram. Being exhausted means you can’t function – you are no use in an exam like that.

10. Don’t get hung up on a single event or a single day

I for one, have this bad habit of replaying emotionally strenuous events in my head over and over again. If you’re speaking about it now though, remember; it has already happened. It is gone. Poof. BYE.

11. Save some money up!

Seriously being penniless sounds much more appealing than it actually is. University especially, is hard enough, without you having to survive on canned meatballs and UHT milk.

12. Being kind is important

Even the smallest act of kindness can make someone’s life better. I for one, don’t have much to give, but even your time/support/helping hand will be priceless in the eyes of the person who needed it.

13. Ironing is a difficult skill to master

I realised this, when I was 45 minutes behind schedule getting ready for the Christmas ball, and I melted the bottom of my navy blue, full length dress. I promptly decided to get a few pointers from Dad, because for the 17 or so years he ironed my clothes, they never ended up like that.

14. Chill…a tiny bit

It’s really easy to get really riled up about something but the only person that ends up getting emotional, whether that’s sad, or angry, or teary, is you. Your emotions are worth more.

15. Blogging is a great vent

If you like speaking, but nobody listens anymore, blogging is your number one star solution. Pop your details in, add some colour, and get typing.

16. Never forget those important people

It’s easy to forget who it was that helped pull you up from rock bottom, but if they were there at your hour of greatest need, they are special, and you should always remember how much you owe your successes to them.

17. Educating yourself is vital

I don’t just mean this in a traditional sense, although I do value academia myself. It’s important to arm yourself with knowledge about the world around you. You are a person, and at least in this country, you pretty much get a choice in everything. It’s a real shame when people overlook their right to contribute to things that affect all of us. Learn about your politics, learn about your taxes, learn about your economy, people!

18. Ice-cream is a gift from the gods

Ice-cream, is better than any human could ever be. It is always there when you need a shoulder (or tub) to cry on. Ice-cream will never let you down, turn around, or dessert you. (GET IT?!)