Things I would tell my 16yo self

Sometimes, I find myself thinking about all the things I wish I knew, or, did differently when I was about 16 years old. So, here’s a list of them. But first let’s start with a comparison. Here’s a photo of me now:

and below is a photo of me aged 16 at my school formal: She may look similar but she’s a completely different gal to the one in the top pic. You can just tell, she’s so naive about the world. Here’s the shit I wish I had of known.

1.  School is so easy. Yes, it’s so boring and it’s the same routine for an entire year but, damn, a 6 hour day with 2 lunches is bliss.
2. Please stop doing cheerleading. Honestly, you’re not very good at it. You’re much better at more traditional sports like netball and soccer.
3. For the love of God, pleeeeaseeee start saving your money. Seriously, at the least just save up enough to buy a decent car.
4. Which reminds me, yes, mum’s crazy when you’re learning to drive but just get your license ASAP.
5. Dump that twit of a boyfriend, he aint worth the time.
6. Start practicing make up now. It’s a lot easier to experiment and make mistakes with your make up as a kid opposed to a young adult.
7. Start the YouTube channel. You’re 22 and you still haven’t done it.
8. This is a big one. TAKE A GAP YEAR. Yes, you feel like the right step after school is to go to university but do not do it. Rachel, you don’t want to be a nurse.
9. Please stop feeling like you don’t fit in. Most of it is in your head and you’ll meet a lot more people outside of school. They’ll get you.

 

I think that’s just about it. What kind of things would you tell yourself if you had the chance?

What They Don’t Tell You About Moving Out

I moved out of my parents home when I was 20 years old. I was beyond excited. I think most women look forward to picking furniture and styling their own home. Which, seriously it’s fun but I don’t think I fully understood what moving out was all about. And, I don’t think anyone can tell you about it, you just have to do it and get through the first few months. Or, in my case a bit longer. I’ll be honest, I struggled when I moved out. Like, bad and here’s the reasons why…

Routine is thrown out the window 

Whether you know it or not you’re in a routine. It’s kind of hard to explain because it’s not your routine you’re in, it’s your parents. And when you move out it’s gone. There’s no set dinner time, no one waking you up (my mum hates when we sleep in) and no one telling you to clean up. You just have to grow up and start your own routine.

It’s lonely

I’m not sure if everyone experiences this but this really sucked at first, and sometimes still does. My family is pretty close. Like, I hang out with my family for fun. So when I moved out and it was just my boyfriend and I, I would get pretty lonely. I wasn’t used to not having multiple people in the house to talk and hang out with.

It’s so so expensive

You know how everyone tells you moving out is expensive? They’re right. They’re so right that what ever amount you expect it to cost, double it. It often feels like you can’t quite get your head above water. You will get better at budgeting though, so that’s a plus.

Furniture shopping isn’t that fun

Actually shopping for furniture isn’t as fun as walking around the store looking at all the stuff you like. Mainly because you have to pay. And not only do you have to pay but it has to match the rest of the stuff in your house. Then you have to figure out a way to get it home. Which, sometimes, you have to pay more money for.

…Cooking…

Really this only sucks for half the population. The half that don’t like cooking (me). This actually sucks, you don’t realise how much you take your parents cooking for granted until it’s gone. And, for those who don’t like cooking, when do you start liking it? Like I actually feel kind of sorry for my future kids

 

What do you guys think? Is there something you didn’t realise until you moved out?

 

20 Things That Make Me Happy

*Sing* These are a few of my favourite things….

 

1. A Saturday morning sleep in
2. My dogs and cats
3. Winning a game, whether it be soccer, futsal, netball or anything
4. Finding someone who likes the same books as you so you can finally talk about them
5. The Beach
6. Musicals
7. That feeling when you book flights for a trip
8. Singing in the car
9. How well I dance when I’m drunk
10. Coffee
11. Rain
12. New episodes of Brooklyn nine nine
13. Going on road trips
14. When my online purchase finally arrives
15. Going out for Breakfast
16. Finishing work for the week
17. Coming home from a trip and laying on your own bed
18. When the plane lands
19. When I totally wing something and it totally ends up working out
20. Setting a goal and finally achieving it