18 Pieces Of Advice To My 18 Year Old Self

I have a confession to make. I barely remember being 18 and it was only six years ago. Ok, I mean, of course I remember some parts of it. I remember the total awkwardness, worries, stresses and new experiences of it all. At eighteen, I was in my final year of school, couldn't wait to leave in some ways, full of fears of the unknown in other ways. What had the world in store for me? Where the hell was I going to end up and most important of all, who was going to cook for me every day? I look at my sister now, on the brink of turning 18 and in some ways feel a sense of envy at how easy and freeing everything is at that age. These are the 18 pieces of advice I'd give my 18 year old self.

Dear Me....

1) Work Hard In School

I didn't do a tap in school for five years, then sixth year rolled around and with it came the realization that to get any form of proper job, you must work in school. Hence, a year of cramming and cursing myself. Although I was fairly pleased with the end result, I do wonder what I would have come out with, had I worked consistently throughout school.

2) Choose Your College Course Wisely

Don't choose arts. Your career guidance teacher was not right about many things, but this was one of them. Having to go from a school of 500 to a lecture hall of roughly the same number, is rather intimidating and not fun. Put a little more time into choosing what you want to spend three years studying. It'll pay off.

3) Enjoy Seeing Your School Friends Every Day

It won't last, sadly. Come September you're all going to scatter to different colleges, make different friends, try new things. Just be comforted by the fact that at 24, you're all still going strong and each reunion makes it seem as though barely any time has passed.

4) Don't Waste Time Wishing You Were Older

I promise you, time will inevitably fly by at a frightening pace. One minute you're studying for the leaving cert and the next you're finished college. Stop worrying about getting into clubs, it's only a matter of time until you won't even get asked for ID, then you'll understand that looking young has its advantages. You can never reclaim these carefree young years.

5) Results Are Not The Be All And End All

You won't ever forget the terror of open those Leaving Cert results on that fateful August morning. You won't ever forget the rush of relief you felt when you scanned those little letters and numbers. I know at the time it seemed like the most important thing in all of the world, but after that day you'll rarely, if ever, be asked about what you got again. Results don't and won't ever define you.

6) Tesco Value Vodka Will Be Your Worst Enemy

After school, you will spend the next four (five) years with little to no money. Therefore many nights out will be spent with sneaky naggins down the bra. Just please, for the sake of my livers history, ensure it's not Tesco Value. After a night of scrubbing vom from your carpet with a Brillo Pad and a sore head, you'll learn your lesson.

7) Do Not Chop Off Your Hair

At the time, a very short bob will seem like the greatest idea in the world. When you're still growing it out three years later though, it won't seem quite so smart. You do not have strong enough features for hair that short. End of.

8) Take More Pictures

Looking back at our few blurry, drunk on three cans of cider, nightclub pictures, the only regret I have is not taking more cringe inducing images. Yes, we had terrible make up application skills, awful clothes and worse poses, but it's good to look back and see how grown up and wise we've all become.

9) Learn How To Drive

At eighteen this won't seem like such a priority, but I promise you, between college, work and a J1 summer, you won't have much time to be on cruise patrol, so do it now. Being 24 and still reliant on Mammy's lifts is rather embarrassing.

10) Enjoy All Female Company Because You'll Rarely Get That Again

Of course, at the time we all pretended to hate being in an all girls school, but honestly, it does have its advantages. No make up, no man worries, no stress. This is the last time you'll ever have that luxury. Make the very most of it all.

11) Eat Well And Know That Walking To The Shop Is Not Regular Exercise

Get up off your lazy arse and go for a run. Eating crap all the time, plus drinking crap all the time, plus many late nights equals weight gain. This cardinal rule also applies to you. No, really.

12) Deactivate Your Bebo Account

Dear god, I recently went on a trip down the memory lane that is Bebo, only to be reminded of what a prize knob I was. Just delete. Join Facebook ahead of the curve and then take it easy on the shitty status updates. It'll save you a lot of future pain and suffering. Promise.

13) Don't Worry About The Love Stuff

Your friends may talk about relationships, men, love and pulling the latest beure and you may feel totally lost and out of the loop. Don't worry about it. All of these school romances will fall by the wayside, long to be forgotten, an unimportant blip on the scale. It'll all happen at some stage.

14) Enjoy The Responsibility Free Life

Yes, of course you want more responsibility, more freedom, more independence. You're an adult now, you should be treated like one. *Shakes fist.* I assure you, you may be 18, but you are most certainly not an adult. You won't be an adult for quite some time yet. You have yet to be thrown full force into the world. You'll be shocked by some of the things that you'll see and hear, but that's ok too. Enjoy a time where you don't have to worry about food, bills and the rest of your life.

15) Don't Take Everything So Seriously

When you're trying to grow up and be taken more seriously, sometimes the only way you know how is by taking everything else in your life seriously too. The mountain out of a mole hill concept isn't the way to gain respect and maturity, I assure you. Drama, stress and worrying will do nothing but age you prematurely. Wrinkles ain't the way forward.

16) Always Embrace Change

Life as you know it is about to change gears and take off at neck breaking speed. I do hope you're ready. For the past 18 years you've lived in the same house, mingled with the same people, gone to the same places. Not for much longer. Your life is going to be totally different in six years time. You couldn't even picture what's in store for you, but it's mostly good. Promise.

17) Live Life To Please YOU

You'll soon have to make a pile of decisions, but don't fret, just listen to your gut. Do what YOU want to do. Not what your parents want, not what your friends or teachers want you to do. So your parents want you to become a teacher? Your friends want you to study in Limerick with them? Your teachers think you should go down the science route? No. You're going to be the one working in this field for the next forty odd years, make sure you're getting into a career that you'll enjoy getting up for every day. You do only have one shot at this life, after all.

18) Know That The Best Is Yet To Come

Of all of the above, this is the most important thing thing I'd tell myself, if I could. Stop wasting all that time worrying about how you'll turn out, because honestly, you're going to be ok. There's going to be some fuck up's along the way, there will be tears, laughs, stress, late nights and early mornings, but in the end it's going to be a pretty fun adventure. Enjoy every step.