Life Lessons from a 19-year-old.

Life is no respecter of age when it begins to hit humans with experiences. They may be good, bad, sad, or ugly. Regardless, there will always be a lesson to pick from each deal. You just have to be sharp, wise, and smart enough to identify the lessons and choose to learn from experience. It may not always be what we want or dream of, but there will always be lessons we need from each experience.

Here are some life lessons I learned as a teenager.

It's my last year of being one, so I thought to share. And yeah, you may be older than I am, but we learn every day, don't we?

1. Not every motivational speech is for you. Decipher your Rhema and work with it. Walk and work with your vision and always consult your vision and God before taking in a new rhema.

2. You are neither too young, nor too smart, nor too big to be traumatized. Prioritize your mental health and know when to retreat for self-care and rejuvenation. Remember, you cannot give what you don't have.

3. Follow the right pages and people. Social media is toxic, social media is healing. Social media is draining, social media is healing. Social media is competitive, social media is inspiring. Choose your path.

4. Most times, the healing you need is mental and emotional healing. This time, it takes reading the right books, social-media detox, and some self-care days. It is not always about prayer. You should put in the work.

5. Great things take time. You can never get it right at first. Great things require growth and failure comes with growth. Embrace it. It shows you're learning. The key to success in life is more consistent efforts in what you are doing than anything else.

6. Stop trying to help God fix your life. God only funds ideas that align with His purpose for you. He is not obliged to sponsor desires that are not part of the plan He has for you.

7. Sometimes, trusting God is hard, especially when His plans are the total opposite of your desires. But you have to trust Him anyway. There is no better person to trust than He who knows the end from the beginning.

8. Don't settle for a stereotype mindset. There is so much to life outside your comfort zone. Have an open mind. Be ready to embrace differences, because they will definitely come. Embracing differences without losing your authenticity is a sign of growth. Growth means learning, unlearning, and relearning. Growth comes with having and respecting different perspectives Never forget that.

9. Stay self-conscious. Consistently evaluate and evolve. Embrace your strengths and weakness. Love all that you are, but love yourself enough to work on your flaws. Imperfect isn't always beautiful.

10. Communication is key. Learn to have those tough conversations. Accept your mistakes without sentiments. Learn empathy. Learn to be an empathetic listener.

Sometimes in life, we miss out on the wonderful because we are looking for the spectacular. Sometimes, we miss out on the gold because we are looking for the silver lining in the clouds. A friend once said, "Colourful moments make life worth living". The little things in life create the best memories. Embrace them. It is okay to lose at somethings. Losing gives you an open mind to bigger perspectives. Don't be scared to take bold steps in faith. God is too big and His grace is so sufficient to pull you out of what you got yourself into, with or without God. Live every day with intentionality. Let your growth in all areas be intentional.

The longest relationship you will have is with yourself. Love God and love yourself first, before loving other people. You cannot give what you don't have. Give in to accountability because community is where growth happens.

Finally, have an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude helps you stay humble because you realize that God is the only source and reason. Gratitude helps you lean on His grace, unconditional love, and power. Leaning on God signifies humility because it shows you understand that you can't do life alone. Lean on Him and trust God regardless.