13 Things I Learned Being 13

first of all...

hey!! i haven't posted on here in a while, but i'm back!

if you didn't know, a week ago was my thirteenth birthday, so i thought that i should share a few things i've learned in the past year. originally i thought that i should make a video on the topic, but after awkwardly talking to a camera for 30 minuted, i decided it was best to take the matter here. plus, i hadn't been on my website since february, so i thought the time was right.

anyways, let's get onto the 13 reasons [i'm assuming] why you clicked on this link:

ps if you don't want to read more detailed descriptions of my thirteenth year, i bolded the thirteen most important statements :)

the past year has been one of the best years yet. i went to a few of my favorite, most memorable concerts, explored the east coast, and experienced many things for the first time. one of these many new things was youtube and this blog!

youtube had always been something i wanted to do since i was little, and last summer i really thought more about getting into it. so, i started a channel, and thought of all the amazing content i was going to make in the next couple of months. well, after none of that really happened, i thought, why not start a new project, maybe something i could be more passionate about. that's when i came up with the idea of making a magazine (it would be online of course), and that's when i came up with the idea of mia mag (a play on words for those who know my last name). it started out as weekly emails i would send to my close friends, each week a different topic. after a few weeks of this routine, i got the idea of turning mia mag into a website instead, and this baby was born!

at this point, i had been keeping up with my website for months, and within that time i even posted my first youtube video (a short film), but i still hadn't done much else with my channel. i had began getting a little tired of only being able to share my thoughts through a link to a page of writing, so i began getting back into the youtube groove. that's when i sat down, and filmed an intro video. a few days later, i posted it to my channel, and ran with it.

anyways, enough rambling...

the point is that you can do anything you set your mind to. no matter how cliché it sounds, it's true.

the next thing i learned was that we need to spend less time on our phones/ in the digital world. now i don't mean to get off your phone no matter what, for example, if you're reading or getting work done, then by all means spend as much time on your phone as you desire! but all those hours spent on social media are such a waste in the end.

now, personally, i have fomo, and i'm still struggling with limiting the time i spend on my phone, but trust me, i'm working on it. anyways, i read something that said all the hours we spend on our phone nowadays can add up to THIRTEEN YEARS of our lives! thirteen! this made me realize how we should really listen to our parents when they complain about us being on our cellphones all the time, and spend more time in the real world.

the next thing i thought of was to have more sympathy, and be able to listen to others, even if you don't agree. you never know what a person is going through, and in tough situations, when this is the case, sympathy is key. going along with the second thing i mentioned, if someone happens to state something you don't necessarily think is true, it's important to still listen to what they're saying. This doesn't mean you have to agree, but rather than yelling over each other trying to be heard, let them speak, and take what their saying into consideration, and like i said try to picture yourself in their shoes to get a better perspective.

sort of tying into what i just said, always see the best in people. no matter what you may have heard about someone, or something, at least try to see the silver lining. it'll make you a better and happier person. (again it's very cheesy sounding, but also very true!)

the next tip i've learned within the past year is totally random, but DRINK WATER. and lots of it. early into my year of thirteen, i struggled with really bad acne, and not only my acne but practically all of my problems died down once i began downing more and more water. (the problem part was over exaggerated for those who can't read sarcasm through text).

besides learning about how i could improve myself, i also learned about me and the things i was passionate about. for example, last year i really saw, and explored digitally, fashion week for the first time, and began falling in love. i think what i love most about fashion is that you get to express yourself through a different medium. i also subscribed to seventeen magazine, and got majorly inspired by all of the pieces of clothing, and photographs that they featured in their magazines. basically, i've recently learned that fashion is my passion!

alongside fashion, in the past year i've found an IMMENSE love for film, directing, and photography. fun fact: (at least at the moment,) i want to be a director in the future, or have a career in some sort of cinematography or photography :) andddd i'm hoping to post more short films in the future, so stay tuned for that.

while finding my passions for film and fashion, i've learned that knowledge is power. intelligence really is powerful, and recently i've been reading more, watching more, and overall looking for more learning opportunities daily. given more knowledge, i've also been given more opportunities to create. after all, you were created to create!

not only were you created to create, but everything you do was meant to happen a for a reason. i know, i know, another cheesy quote. don't worry i'll just leave it to you to figure out what it means if you don't get it already.

the next piece of advice i've found in the past year is to live in the moment. if you're busy worrying about what's going to happen in the future, you're going to miss out on what's happening now.

along with living in the moment, don't forget to explore more, and to see all you can while you're on this beautiful earth.

in order to explore more, occasionally you'll have to step out of your comfort zone, and if you're ever feeling iffy about something remember that you'll never know if you will ever get something, or enjoy it if you never ask, or try.

last, but not least, something that i still struggle with, but something that i've lived more by is to BE YOURSELF & DON'T CARE WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK. it's so important to live fully as you, because you were made to be unique, and the world would be boring with a bunch of people trying to be each other. so no matter what anybody tells you otherwise, remember to stay true to you.

shoutout to you if you've read (or skip read) all the way to this point, and thank you :) i hope you've had an amazing week, and have an even better one in the future.

mia lorelei