18- year old Nimisha

In light of recent A- level results coming out, I sat back on Thursday and realised that it has been 5 years since I was in that position opening up my results and finding out which University I was going to!! Sometimes I wonder what my life is going to be like in a few years and as time seems to fly by these days, I think where will I be in 5 years. The truth is that you can never predict what is going to happen, and 5 years is actually an incredible amount of time. Personally, I would have never ever predicted what was to happen in my life after receiving my A-level results, up until this day right now, and so much has happened.

Sometimes I wish I could talk to future me, and find out whats going to happen to me in the next few years but wheres the fun in that! On many more occasions, there are loads of things I wish I could tell my 18-year old self, so 18-year old Nimisha… Heres my advice.

1. Stay YOUNG!! 
You might think you’re all grown up at 18, but the truth is, you’re not! You will have to start doing grown up things from 18 onwards perhaps, but you are still incredibly young. Sometimes when I’m walking around town I can see girls aged 12 wearing heaps of makeup, and while I love makeup, I just think people are growing up too quickly. I didn’t discover foundation until my second year of University (late to the party I was), but actually I am so grateful for that and my mother for not allowing me to wear foundation the years before, and actually just ended up trying it when I was ready to. Don’t cover up what you don’t need to at such a young age and enjoy how you look. When you’re young, you’re in such a hurry to grow up, but trust me, all I can think of now is how much I wish I was young again! I wouldn’t have bills to pay thats for sure! If I could, I would have embraced being young so much more, because growing up is hard, situations are real and serious and you have way more responsibilities as you grow older.

2. Relax, enjoy the moment and be patient!!
I rarely regret things, because at the end of the day, growing up is a process and a road to self-discovery, whatever bumps you hit along the way, however there are things I look back on and wish I maybe did things differently. I’ve always been an emotional person but my oh my did I take EVERYTHING to heart when I was younger!! In some cases, I definitely had a reason to take things personally, but on the whole, sometimes I wish I could have just relaxed more and enjoyed the moment. I wish I could just tell myself to be patient and not think everything should and is going to happen at once! You go through a number of things growing up and teenage years especially are full of so many new experiences. Stop and enjoy them.

3. Be individual.
Going to university was the best thing I ever did for a number of reasons. But one of them was definitely having the chance to start fresh. I was incredibly happy to start university (amongst feeling anxious and everything else) and it was because I was able to move away from some things I wasn’t comfortable with and start again. I went to an all-girls school and although I did enjoy my time there, it was often a battlefield of trying to fit in and following the crowd. I always wanted to be part of something I think, when I was that age, and it doesn’t always work out the way you want it to. But I wish I took control of my individuality and had more self confidence to realise I didn’t need to be like everyone else in order to fit in. When you get to university you will realise that every single person you meet, has a different story to tell.

4. Cherish your family and home 
Who wants to be at home on a saturday night at 18!! I remember wanting to go everywhere and do everything. Not that I did, but I was happy to start being independent and making my own choices when I got to university. How things have changed! At 23 years old, I absolutely cannot wait to go home most of the time, and I find living away from my family is so much harder now even after living abroad for a year. And I will be forever thankful that my parents disciplined me well to know that going to university doesn’t mean going absolutely wild, but also sometimes, you can do everything you want to do, by making your own decisions and judgements. Home is where the heart is as they say. That and, I do love a night in sometimes! #lovemyfam

5. Everything happens for a reason
When I opened up my A-level results I remember crying so much because I didn’t get into my first choice university. I missed one of my grades by only 2 marks and it stopped me from getting into the university I had dreamed of going to. All was not lost however and I went to my second choice university and like I said, really had the chance to start fresh. I did just that and the last 5 years have been the best of my life so far because I have learnt so much, and done so much. I have met incredible people along the way, friends I will have for the rest of my life, and experiences that I can look back on and smile! If I didn’t go to this university, I wouldn’t have spent a year living in beautiful Barcelona, I probably wouldn’t have done the MSc I did, and I may not even be working at the company I am now working for. So I live by the fact that everything happens for a reason because although life isn’t always glorious, there may well be a silver lining, and it is what you make of it. Maybe I had to be upset then, over something as small as two marks to reap the benefits of going where I did and doing what I have done.

Life is what you make of it, there are plenty of ups and there are equally plenty of downs but its how you deal with those situations, learn from them and move on. Whatever your results, be positive and look forward to your next step, and grab opportunities as they come by. Learn to forgive and forget the bad stuff, and focus on the good stuff, grow and be positive. Thats a whole lot of wisdom I’m putting upon my 18-year old self!! Here’s a pic of me at 18 (my hair was pretty decent that day standing by my ‘N’ at my beloved Emirates Staidum)!

18 year old meLove Nimisha (at 23)

xoxo

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5 Comments

  1. December 18, 2014 / 5:44 pm

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  2. August 24, 2014 / 2:36 pm

    Such a cute idea and every point you made is so true! I remember finishing school and thinking that I would have it all figured out once I went to college (I was in Ireland at the time so that’s why it’s not uni). College came & went and I still didn’t have a clue about my future. I still am unsure to this day, but over the years I have finally learnt to just take each day as it comes x

    Beauty with charm

    • niminotes
      Author
      August 24, 2014 / 7:19 pm

      Thank you!! And you’re very right about learning to take each day as it comes! xo

  3. August 19, 2014 / 3:07 pm

    This was a really love post to read through with some great tips! I’m about to turn 21 on Sunday and it’s definitely prompted me to think about how life is constantly changing. I find it’s difficult to act my age and I always find myself thinking like someone twice my age, as if I’m in a race against time or something.. so this was really good for me to read 🙂 I also couldn’t agree with you more about cherishing your family and home, I’ve always done that and I honestly believe it’s what keeps me bouncing back no matter what I’m faced with in life! Also, how wonderful that you lived in Barcelona for a year! Wow! I’ll be visiting Barcelona for the first time in October after I (amazingly!!) won a holiday for three nights there 🙂

    http://findmethoseheels.blogspot.co.uk/
    – Thanks for following on Bloglovin’, I’ve happily returned the favour! –

    x

    • niminotes
      Author
      August 19, 2014 / 8:38 pm

      Thank you soo much for reading and for the follow!! I know exactly how you’re feeling, I felt the same at 21, and sometimes still feel that way now! I’ve definitely learned that family is everything too. Wow thats amazing, what a win! Barcelona is an amazing city, I’m sure you will absolutely love it! xoxo

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