Lessons I Learned entering my 20's

As I celebrate turning 20 years old, e been reflecting on eight valuable life lessons learned along the way.

Why Blend In When You Can Stand Out?

Growing up, I never fit into the mold. From dealing with learning disabilities and falling behind in school to not being good at sports and having a curvy body type—I felt like I couldn't win. In 2012, little Brooklyn truly disliked herself for it. It wasn't until I embraced the way I process information differently, owned my dry humor, and realized I was better at videotaping basketball than playing it that I finally came into my own.

You Can't Screw Up Anything Meant to Be in Your Life

Trust yourself. Trust the universe that it will work out. Trust in your timing. Listen to that feeling of excitement or the gut instinct telling you to break up with them!! Say the candid thing, have people dislike you. They aren't for you. What if we all lived with the mindset that we are lucky to be alive and have the power to evolve at any time? Not everything is meant for you, but the right things will stick or return when ready.

Blinders On

Please stop looking around and asking other people for advice. If you don't want to be like them, turn your blinders on. Listening to unsolicited advice won't get you any closer to becoming who you want to be. This is an ongoing struggle for me, but the sooner I become mindful of it in a conversation, the better I feel about staying true to myself.

Habits

"People do not decide their futures; they decide their habits, and their habits decide their futures" from F. M. Alexander is my current quote obsession. I'm trying to level up currently. I want to become a woman who doesn't just float through life hoping to achieve my wildest goals but works on them little by little every day. My ADD makes consistent habits rough, so this does not have to be an all-or-nothing thing. 80/20 is real. But when I actively notice when I spend my time and am intentional, I tend to get more done.

Be the Most Interested Person in the Room

One of my favorite things about myself is my curiosity about literally everything. Everyone has something interesting to say and something to teach if you ask the right questions. I'm honestly a student of life and love to listen. The funny thing I've noticed is that when you're genuinely interested in others, you become the most interesting person in the room because people become curious about you.

Creating a Daily To-Do List for Work & Play

As a freelancer, it's easy to have extreme workdays. It's also easy to get into a rutt and not create for myself. I need to carve out time to take a workout class or go for a walk between being on set and editing. As soon as I wake up, I create an essential to-do list of things I want done for work and play. Otherwise, I'll burn out, and that's a rough version of me to be around.

Your Anxiety is Lying to You

I've spent so much time this year overthinking my next life moves, worrying about opportunities, and not knowing how I'd handle them instead of just trying and figuring things out. You can think about doing something for hours, but that doesn't mean you've actually done it. Your brain is designed to keep you safe, so when I spiral into anxiety, I do a mini box-breaking session to figure out the root cause of what I'm so scared of. Calling my grandma is also an anti-anxiety habit, she likes to say," Why are you letting your anxiety lie to you?"

Being Delusionally Optimistic

"I'm going to graduate high school a year early and finish college at 19." "I'm going to skip my high school graduation to intern in New York." I am delusionally optimistic about the possibilities daily, and sometimes my delusions become my reality. WILD. Preparation meets opportunity, so start preparing for those "crazy" ideas because what seems crazy to you is someone else's reality.