7 Things I Wish I Had Appreciated More When I Was Younger

As I get older…and possibly wiser (haha), I have been thinking back on how I didn’t appreciate certain things.  I don’t live life with regrets, but there are some things I didn’t appreciate until I had some more years under your belt. Here are 7 things I wish I had appreciated more when I was younger.

1.  My Young Metabolism-  I was just talking about this with a friend the other day.  We would go to lunch in high school and eat 2 huge slices of pizza and a regular coke…almost daily.  These days if I did that I would weight significantly more than I do and would need to run about 80 miles a week just to try to keep up with calorie intake.  Metabolism changes with age, but maybe this is also so we don’t eat junk food all day long and take care of ourselves better? 

2.  Lack of Responsibility- Not worrying about paying bills, grocery shopping, cleaning the whole house, managing the family schedule, and everything else that a parent does.  Remember when we couldn’t wait to move out of our parent’s house?  Instead of longing for life on my own, I should’ve appreciated those years of not having to be the responsible one.

3.  Learning- I am one of those people that if I could get paid to attend college classes as a job I totally would.  I love learning.  I wish in high school, when attending classes was free (and mandatory), that I appreciated it more and really absorbed it all instead of just cramming, regurgitating for tests, and then forgetting most of what I “learned”.

4.  Meeting New People- I have always been shy, so meeting new people isn’t something I ever rushed to do.  I have come across so many amazing people during my lifetime and I wish I had appreciated this, spent more time actually talking to them, learning from them and making a connection.  Networking and connections are a big part of this small world we live in. 

5.  Ability To Travel- I have done my fair share of traveling during my younger years…but I wish I had appreciated the ability I had to do more.  Having saved money and not having any big commitments I should’ve spent that money on traveling this amazing world instead of buying more clothes.  

6.  My Skin-  I was awful about wearing sunscreen because I would always want to be tan.  Skin cancer, wrinkles, sun damage, it is all very real.  It wasn’t until my 30’s that I started to take good care of my skin.  

7.  Sleeping In- On the weekends I would easily sleep until 10:00am and never thought anything of it.  Now if I sleep until 6:30am I feel like I won the morning and I slept in.  I can’t even fathom sleeping until 10:00am anymore and what that would be like?  Would I feel extra rested?  Probably not, but man of man I should’ve appreciated that luxury of being able to sleep in.

If you could tell your young self something, what would it be?

Here are some other posts you might like:

10 Things About Being A Parent That No One Ever Warned Me About

12 Things To Say To A Runner That Would Make Them Happy

Tips for Teaching Your Child Teamwork

The Best Grilled Fish Recipes- 24 Mouthwatering Fish Recipes

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