8 Life Lessons To Live By In Your 20s That Were Mandatory In Grade School
Gone are the good old days when your only job was to go to school, come home to a yummy snack, and play outside with your friends. Grade school was honestly a luxury if you really think about it. Sure, you were learning, but you'd give anything right now for those days of nap time, endless hours of coloring, and sharing Gushers with your bestie. Believe it or not, there are life lessons to live by in your 20s that are directly linked to things that were mandatory in grade school.
Who knew? There are so many mannerisms you learned in school that stayed with you because of how much you did them on the regular. From the second your parents dropped you off on the first day of kindergarten, you've been a professional student. Do you know how long it took me to stop raising my hand in public or at my first job when I wanted to speak? Stuff like that might have seemed tedious in grade school, but it was all part of a bigger plan. Let's just say grade school went all Karate Kid on us, and in your 20s, you'd be wise to wax on these genuine life lessons, and wax off unnecessary stress.
01Treat Others The Way You Want To Be Treated
This one is so important. I don't know where teachers devised this amazing little saying, but it put things into perspective growing up. Treating people fairly and equally is crucial, no matter what stage of life you're in. You should dish out the treatment you'd like to receive in return, and that's that.
02Sharing Is Caring
Initially, you probably didn't want to share the toy you brought for show and tell. Later on, you realized that you had so much more fun when multiple people were enjoying your LEGOs. Nowadays, for example, if you let your bestie borrow one of your new sundresses for a special occasion (because she's obsessed with it), that says something about your character.
03Quiet Time To Reflect Is Necessary
After lunch, you thought sitting down for quiet time was lame and boring. But by the time those 15 minutes passed, you were calmed down from the outside excitement and ready to face the rest of the day like a champ.
You need those minutes to yourself as a grown-up. That downtime can help you relax, recharge, and it helps you sort out any clutter in your mind.
04Don't Underestimate The Awesomeness Of Having A Bathroom Buddy
Whether you were on a field trip or not, your bathroom buddy was an important part of your daily routine. In your 20s, you definitely don't need a bathroom buddy as much, but when you and your girls are hitting up the bars, girl time to catch up in the bathroom is essential. That's one habit you don't see going anywhere, anytime soon.
05Saying "Please" And "Thank You" Goes A Long Way
There's no such thing as not needing manners anymore because you're an adult. Simply put, having manners and being considerate makes you pleasant to be around. Elementary school sure knew how to shape us, huh?
06Don't Cheat Yourself
Your teachers always said cheating was literally like cheating yourself out of honesty and credibility — and that is so true. Nowadays, you know you still should never cut yourself short. Following in someone else's footsteps, or copying anyone, in any portion of your life isn't living for you at all.
07Ask Questions If You Don't Know Something
There's no such thing as a stupid question. Every day is an opportunity to learn something new, but you have to open your mouth and ask questions if you're confused about something.
We were full of questions as kids, but somewhere down the line, we believed that growing up meant knowing all things. You may not need to raise your hand anymore, but asking questions will serve you well in your 20s.
08You Listen Better If You Wait For Your Chance To Speak
You couldn't just blurt out anything in the classroom. You had to raise your hand, which gave you a considerable amount of time to listen and formulate an answer.
I can't stress enough how crucial it is to listen in any conversation you have. And if it's a heated convo, stop and think about what you really want to say before you drop the first thing that comes to mind.
Life can be a "go with what you know" kind of scenario. Grade school was ages ago, but these lessons will last a lifetime.
