18 THINGS TO DO BEFORE YOU TURN 18

Turning 18 is the first major milestone most of us will have to look forward to. When you're a teenager, nothing seems as important, as big as turning 18, once and for all. It's the final frontier between you and adulthood, between being considered a child and being an adult. Despite all the hype, most of the time, things don't really change that much, nonetheless, you may as well squeeze as much into life while you're young. Here are 18 things to do before you turn 18:

1) Go to a festival.

Festivals are playgrounds for young, fun seeking people just like yourself. Pick one that has some of your favourite artists playing at it, save up and go let your hair down because most festivals let over 17's in. Just pick an older friend and some general sense up along the way.

2) Get a part time job and earn some spare cash.

Your parents have no 'duty' to fund your Saturdays in town, your gig tickets or your skinny jean obsession. That much is up to you, or at least, should be up to you. Get yourself a few hours a week in a shop, doing some babysitting or even sell off your unwanted stuff on eBay. Having your own money is the best feeling in the world.

3) Dye your hair a crazy colour.

If not now, when? A few streaks or some dip dying can be more than enough. You're young, have some fun with your hair, it'll fade and grow in no time anyway.

4) And get a piercing, somewhere. Anywhere.

Mix up some ear piercings, get your belly button done or if you're really feeling adventurous, go for a facial one. Just don't expect the 'rents to be too happy. See our guide for inspiration.

5) Discover something you love doing.

Whether it's something as simple as painting nails, reading novels or making cakes, find your niche and get good at it. If you love doing something then it'll never really feel like work, so find out what you love and keep on doing it.

6) And find out who your true friends are.

The sooner the better really. Your gut will be your guide on this one, but if you reckon that they're for keeps, then they probably are, so hold on tight.

7) Learn to enjoy your own company.

It's imperative that you're perfectly ok with spending a little time by yourself because if not, you'll end up surrounding yourself with any old people, just to feel content.

8) Try out the whole relationship thing for yourself.

If nothing else, then just to see what all of the fuss is about. Relationships in your teens can often be either 'meh' or extremely overpowering though, so thread carefully.

9) Learn how to cook at least one meal.

So that whenever you happen to be by yourself, you won't end up turning to sugar to survive. Plus, you can win over friends and impress your mother with your culinary skills.

10) Go somewhere you've always to visit with your friends.

And make sure to take loads of pictures so that you will always have a keepsake of that day to look at and smile. Oh, and take more pictures no matter how awful you think you look.

11) Keep some sort of diary/ journal/ photo album.

There's nothing NOTHING better than randomly discovering a book filled with precious, youthful memories. It doesn't matter how much you cringe, how bad you think you look or how stupid you think you sound, in five years time you'll be so happy that you did it.

12) Make more of an effort with your parents.

Sure, there were probably many points throughout your teenage years when you couldn't stand the sight of your parents, but the older you get, the more you see that everything they did, they did it for you. Thank them by making a bigger effort to get on with them.

13) De-clutter your social media.

Do you really need 900 friends and 200 likes on your new profile picture? Like, really? Ask yourself who you don't want to see in your timeline every day and give them the chop. Today.

14) Get into a proper skincare routine.

Your skin during your teens is at its most turbulent. Your body is raging with a million different hormones and this is naturally going to affect your skin,  remedy that by getting into a steady skincare routine now and sticking to it.

15) Give school your all, if only for one month.

Just to see what your abilities actually are, out of curiosity Then, when the going gets tough, you always know that you can fall back on your exceptional abilities and all will be ok, once again.

16) Aim to meet as many people as you possibly can.

Broaden your horizons, hang out with people you normally never would, meet, greet, befriend and enjoy mixing outside of your regular circles. Don't be a closed book.

17) Learn to stand up for yourself.

You need to learn how to stand up for what you believe in, for yourself, for people you love, because if you can't do that for yourself, then who else will?

18) And most of all, learn to have a little self-loving, not to mention self-respect.

Respect yourself and you won't have to worry about anyone else. Self-confidence, self-respect and self-loving is the key to self-happiness. So get on board with yourself right now!