10 Things I Learned Before 25

Over my first 25 years of life, I’ve learned so much! I’ve experienced conflict, loss, difficulties, joys, triumphs, and successes… Through it all, God has taught me some important truths that will propel me through whatever the next 25 years have in store for me. Here are just 10 lessons that I’ve learned over the past 25 years that I feel are worth sharing for other to learn from as well:

1. Things don’t always go as planned and that’s okay – From all the punches life has thrown me in my first 25 years, I’ve learned to roll with them and move on and learn from them.
   1. It’s not always your best day, but better days are always ahead.
2. No one has to approve of you EXCEPT God – I’ve wasted so much time over the years thinking about what people think of me or whether or not they accept me… It was so freeing to finally stop worrying about what people think of me and recognize that my value and worth are found completely in Jesus Christ and what He did for me on the cross. Comparatively, no other person’s opinion matters.
3. Genuine peace has more to do with who you know than your current circumstances.
   1. On his death bed in 2012, my dad was smiling and encouraging everyone around him. He knew that Heaven would one day be his home. So he wasn’t worried as much about what would happen to his body as his soul. This taught me to learn to view everything in life in light of eternity.
4. Anything worth achieving requires hard work – Dreams don’t work unless you do.
   1. I’ve always been a hard worker and a determined person – My mom instilled into me at a young age that “I could do anything I put my mind too,” and this has been my mantra ever since.
   2. As fate would have it, the last 3 years of my life have been consumed with surviving dental school. This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever been through – from late nights studying for multiple exams per week to endless lab work to tears over mistakes and failures to seeing patients and doing a variety of procedures for the first time. I have become so much stronger and learned more through this process than ever in my life.
5. Marriage has taught me more about myself than singleness ever did – there’s something about being in close proximity with a person and dealing with them daily as husband and wife that allows you to see things in them that their family and friends never did. This is a great opportunity for personal growth.
6. Family over everything! Family is one of the most important things in life, so hold on dearly to your family
   1. I lost my dad in February of 2012 and since then have clung tightly to my family. My sisters were already my best friends but now I value them more even more than before. I’ve realized that although we fight sometimes and don’t always see eye to eye, that my immediate family is the one group of people that I can always turn to no matter what.
7. Learning to love yourself, flaws and all, is an ongoing journey.
   1. I spent at least the first 17 years of myself not perceiving myself as beautiful and not appreciating my God-given features – deep brown skin, wide nose, big eyes, and high cheekbones. People would comment on how beautiful I looked and I never believed them. But one day, my mindset about myself changed and as I looked at myself, I finally saw what God say – beauty and strength. From then on, my journey of self love has continued and every day I begin to love myself more.
8. Health is wealth! You can’t put a price on taking good care of yourself mentally, physically, emotionally etc.
   1. Physical fitness is so important to prioritize – not just for weight loss or weight goals but also for a healthy balanced life.
   2. Mental health begins with a choice to guard your heart and mind.
9. Hard times teach you more than easy times – the struggle makes you a better person.
   1. Just know that when you’re struggling, you’re becoming stronger.
10. The more friends you make, the more you are forced to learn which friends will remain close friends. From high school to undergrad to dental school, I’ve gained new communities in each stage. But I’ve realized that some friends are seasonal whereas others are meant to be life-long; some seasons of life require a certain kind of support. God is able to continually provide people who will be there for us and sharpen us as individuals.

 
These were just a few of the life lessons I’ve learned over the years. I can’t wait to see what I learn in the next 25!
 
<3 Beryl

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