Tidbits of Wisdom by Jaimee Martin

                                                                                                

Over my 17—almost 18, in 58 days—years of life, I have learned many a thing. I have loved and lost, cried and cheered; I have even gotten to see a little bit more of myself. While we all know that no thought is original and no knowledge is exactly ‘new’, what makes experiencing life exciting, however short or long, is that it’s new to us, right? And I think the geniuses in the world have always understood that best because experiences are where truths are born—or perhaps discovered; The ‘many a thing’ we do, regardless of how frequent, becomes a part of us.

Enough with the philosophical. One of my favorite YouTubers, Jenna Marbles, used to have a birthday-specific video she posted every year when the time came around. It was called ‘X number of things I’ve learned in X years’ (the x’s are obviously numbers here) and they were among some of her videos I rewatched the most. I thought it was so special how she took the time to share all the small experiences she’s had in her life that we don’t normally see as an expression of truth. When Jenna told me to never go on an all-carrots diet because she did it in college, and it was awful, that small piece of truth wasn’t just funny, it was genuine wisdom. I save tidbits of wisdom like this all the time and write them down in, you guessed it: my Notes app. So here are 18 things I’ve learned in 18 years, or my tidbits of wisdom to you.

Happy reading :))

  1. If you have to decide between hugging someone and kissing them, always choose the hug because the physical and emotional memory will stay with you for longer.
  2. Never buy a new car. Just don’t do it. There’s no reason except to a be a pretentious ass. You save money, the planet, and your reputation when you stick to used cars.
  3. Take the worst job at the best place. A stupid job at a more credible institution will do more for your well-being and life than an amazing position where you will never be able to grow.
  4. If you’re not participating in a curriculum (of any kind) that teaches you to question why and how you think the way you do, make it a part of your daily introspection.
  5. Clothes don’t really need to be washed. Unless you’re sweating profusely in them or they got dirty from the outside, (dirt, food, etc.) you can wear typical outfits three or four times before they need to be washed; the outside inevitably happens.
  6. If you have the opportunity to live somewhere else, take it. If you don’t like the new place, the old place will always be there and you can go back.
  7. What you major in in college doesn’t matter. It’s mostly about introspection and growing your personhood academically. When you use that space to learn more about you and what makes you happy, opportunities will be easier to take.
  8. You can learn to like any foods if you eat them enough. In fact, this applies to any new sensation, not just taste. Our brain has a natural aversion to anything different as far as sensory goes, but the more we acclimate ourselves, the more we can find the sensation enjoyable—and become more well-rounded along the way
  9. If you have the opportunity to learn a new language, take it. Immerse yourself as much as you can because you may think you’re ‘bad at languages’ but that’s only becuase you’re not exposing yourself appropriately.
  10. “If you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room” is very true. Put yourself in spaces where you’re always learning and being challenged by people around you. And being a leader in that space ≠ being the smartest. Approach people with the desire to expand upon your truth.
  11. If you have nouns in your writing that could be verbs, always revise the writing to add in those verbs. ‘Nounifying’ verbs is the primary way to lose your point or cover up the truth.
  12. If you have the option to make a numeric or alphanumeric password, always choose the latter because it will make a more fun password that’s also stronger.
  13. Keep a year-round list of gifts you would like so that whenever you think of one you can just write it down, and then when giving season comes around (like now) you can just send people your list. I’ve already done this in a previous blog, Gift List by Jaimee Martin, so no need to fret over what to get me from now until college.
  14. If it’s time to apologize, just do it—without ‘but’s and be genuine. Every time you say ‘but’ in an apology, replace that with a ‘**** you’ because that’s essentially what you’re saying. And make sure you say ‘I’m sorry’, not just ‘sorry’ because it makes a world of difference in meaning.
  15. The easiest way to culture yourself is by listening to music from that culture. Also, music is the same as food, you just have to listen to it enough to like it.
  16. If you’re getting a retainer after you get your braces off, get the kind that has a permanent bar behind your teeth. It may seem annoying to have a piece of metal permanently in your mouth, but it’s small, unnoticeable, and more effective than the non-bar kind. You can go months without wearing your retainer and your teeth won’t move, whereas with the other one, you have to wear your retainer 24/7 except when eating. What’s the point of escaping braces if you can’t actually live your life?
  17. Triple dates are the perfect combined date size. Double dates just create competition between you and your friend’s person, but triple dates, however are like a small friend group. Or a sextouple, where everyone is one couple. It can be whatever you make of it.
  18. If you need some easy mindfulness when you’re really struggling, break the day down into however much of a ‘moment’ you can handle. Maybe it’s 5 minutes, maybe it’s 30 seconds, but everything will seem more manageable when you can focus on whatever it is you need to for that moment. (Disclaimer: It only works if you actually put your energy into only that moment.)

Bonus (…and one to grow on): If you want quality wisdom in a short period of time, look at fish. It has to be in person so you can see them swimming right before you, but just look at them. I promise you’ll see how they hold all the secrets to the universe and it will travel by osmosis to you as long as you tap into their energy.

Bonus bonus (because I like to talk): The five things that save the planet are love, art, vegetables, communication and one thing that is not school appropriate. These are in no particular order, but I promise you’ll be okay in life if you have them. Perhaps I will write about the inappropriate thing on a personal blog later in my life.

One thought on “Tidbits of Wisdom by Jaimee Martin

  1. Jaimee,
    You are wiser than your 17 (almost 18) years. Truly. I love that you saved the explanation of the fish pictures until nearly the end. There is a lot of good advice in this blog!

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