5 Things I Wish I knew at 15

It's always odd when you look back at old photographs, even from just a few years ago, and realise how much has changed. With apps like Time Hop, it's so much easier to see back to your former years and see how much you have grown and changed as a person and I think it is completely important to learn lessons from how you acted in the past to shape the person you are today. We all have regrets and things we wish we knew when we were younger so here are mine.

1. Friends come and go
We spend a long time thinking the friends we have are the only friend we will ever have, it's a common high school mentality. When I left for a different college, I made a whole new group of friends, then when I left to get a job, I found even more friends, pushing out the ones who weren't going to be there for the long term. The longer you know someone, the more time they have to change and sometimes this isn't for the better. New experiences shape and mould every single person and after major life events, some people will never be the same again. This is okay because it gives you the opportunity to find those who truly care.

2. University isn't the be all and end all
I had it drummed into me from a young age that I would leave high school, do my A Levels then go off to university to do a degree. Then the real world happened and I realised I wasn't ready to move out to go to school and I seriously did not want to continue with the education system after my time in college (I even cut that short). With all the training programs and apprenticeship opportunities available to young people nowadays, it's possible to get a leg up on the career ladder before graduates and have more job experience than those who have gone to university. Yes, a degree looks and sounds brilliant during job applications, but isn't relevant work experience more important?

3. You will not find a career in history
I had my heart set on being a historian during high school. I always got the best grades, it interested me and I thought it was my calling. How wrong was I? After starting college and taking up history at a more advanced level, I completely lost interest. I was covering subjects I had already looked at and the teachers were boring, I felt like it was a complete waste of time and over a period of months I lost my passion for the subject. I wish I had taken business studies to get myself a bit more experience in the field I never even knew existed (social media for business) so I could have spent less time unemployed. But, as they say, everything happens for a reason.

4. Stop fighting for a change in your grades. That A in English Language is brilliant
I used to strive to be the best. Who am I kidding, I still do, but when I was 15, this meant I had to get the best grades and after I was promised an A* in English Language that somehow changed into an A during the marking process, I was gutted. I fought and fought for a better grade, as did my English teacher who invited the exam board in for various meetings, but the grade never got changed. It stayed with me throughout college and I thought it would hinder a lot of opportunities for me, I wasn't actually as good as I had expected. However, when I entered the world of work, I found out grades in high school didn't matter and that B in maths hasn't got me very far. I don't remember half of what to do and I've never applied half of the equations to be every day life.

5. Your family are everything, stop pushing them away
I am very close to my mum, she's been there for me through everything and always respecting my ideas and understands why I act the way I do. She is my rock, but for years I pushed her away, like most stroppy teenagers. As I grew up I realised I only have one family and after a major bust up with my extended family last year, I grew even closer to my immediate family. You lose friends, you lose lovers, but you will never lose your family and I think that is the most important lesson I have learnt over the past 4 years.

Do you have any lessons you want to teach your younger self? Let me know in the comments!

Picture Sources:

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The Liebster Award

How exciting is this?! A huge thank you to She Dates for this nomination, it's crazy to think I'm actually starting to build up a following! She Dates is an awesome blog by a friend of mine (even though I don;t even know her name!). She talks about the trails and tribulations of her love life and is brutally honest with what happens on dates etc. She gives great relationship advice too and keep a sneaky eye out for some content from her soon, right here on Offbeat.

If you don't know what this is; the Liebster awards are a sort of chain mail between bloggers. One blogger nominates 5 others to praise and ask some questions to. The rules go a little something like this:

1. Thank the blogger you have received the nomination from and post a link to their blog.

2. Display the Award on your blog, either by using a widget or just displaying it on the blog post (just like I have).

3. Answer 11 questions about yourself set by the blogger who nominated you.

4. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve to be recognised through the Liebsters

5. Create 11 questions for each of the bloggers and tell them you have nominated them! Also add a link to your post in case they don't know how it works.

She Dates asked me some awesome questions, and here are my answers;

1. What made you decide to set up your blog?

Boredom. Honestly. I had just settled into my job and when I got home at night and during the weekends I found myself wanting to continue writing like I did in the office but about the things I wanted to, and so Offbeat Emily was born. I never expected it to grow this fast and to become as successful as it has (even though compared to most its not very successful at all yet) and I am very happy with where everything is going and it has also opened up a lot of new doors for me such as meeting new people and a secret project I'm not sure I can say anything about yet.

2. You cover a lot of topics that are hot in the news, what catches you eye about these stories?

Firstly, I come across a lot of news articles when researching at work and a lot of them catch my eye, if I wrote about them all, this would be a news blog! The ones I write about really stand out because I can relate to them. For example, my This Girl Can post. The campaign speaks to me because I hated the idea of going to a gym because I was really uncomfortable with being the bigger girls giving it a go. When I found roller derby, I found a sport that accepted me for who I am and have taken me in with open arms. Through sport, I found a new family and I think it's incredible that campaigns can help people do that. The news articles I write about have a message I feel I can push myself and has helped me in some way, shape or form. Either that, or I have a major opinion on something that I feel needs to be heard.

3.My blog is all about sex and dating, have you ever had a funny dating story?

 Being honest, I've never actually been on a date (sympathy please!) but I was in a sort of relationship with a guy who thought it was okay to start discussing marriage less than 2 months into the relationship. It didn't take long before I finished that. Does that count as funny, or just plain scary?

4. What is your get-up-and-go song? The one that gets you moving?

Because of my love of music, this changes very often. Right now my alarm song is Bad Reputation by Joan Jett, so I guess this will have to do for now!

5. Do you have a favourite blog that you read all the time?

I wouldn't say I have one set favourite because I read so many, it's my job! I;ve come across a few I really like over the past few months so have a quick scroll to the bottom of this post because I've probably nominated them! Oh and She Dates, obviously!

6. Who is your inspiration, this doesn't have to be a blogger?

I've had a lot of influencers and inspiring people in my life so far. The most prominent is my old English teacher from high school. She once wrote a speech for us before our GCSE exams about stabilisers. The school was our metaphorical set of stabiliser, however, once we had taken them off we had to go out on your own and balance ourselves. Getting started without the stabilisers would be difficult and sometimes we would fall, but once we learnt how to manage without the stabilisers, we would learn skills that would last us a lifetime. This will always stick with me and when I start to doubt myself, I always recite that speech in my head.

7. What is your favourite colour?

Turquoise. I don't think I'd be mad enough to dye my hair this colour if it wasn't my favourite!

8. Do you have a favourite post you have written?

This is a very good question! This is probably my This Girl Can post from before as it gave me the chance to really dig deep into something I believe in. It also gave me the chance to talk to my roller derby family about how they feel and feature some of their opinions which means a lot to me.

9. What is a day like in the life of Offbeat Emily?

Lets go for a week day because no two weekends are ever the same. I try to wake up for 6am, this never happens so I rush getting ready for work to be out of the house for 7am. I get dropped off at the train station (thanks Mum!) and I catch the train to catch a metro to catch a bus to work. I stop at Greggs for some apple juice if I have the time and the money and stroll to work. I turn my computer on, do some work (which again, no two days are ever the same) and have a chat with my coworkers, go to buy my lunch and some crispy M&Ms (my diet downfall), eat lunch and work again. I finish work at 5:30pm most days (5:00 on a Friday) and take the long trip home again. I'm usually home for 7pm by which time I'm ready for something to eat and a good chill out after a long day. God knows where I find time for this blog!

10. What would you like to say to new bloggers starting out?

This is not an easy hobby, or just a way to get free things or recognition. No you will not become Zoella overnight because running a blog takes hard work. At first you will think 'why is nobody looking at what I do' then all of a sudden you;ve hit 1,000 views in your first 3 months and the rest from there is an amazing roller coaster full of events, PR companies and awesome people. Good luck!

11. Which Disney princess would you be and why?

This is difficult. I really love Ariel but I love the quirkiness of Alice (yes, I know she's not a princess but I don't care). So I'd probably have to go for Alice because I share a lot of her qualities; too curious for my own good, confident and a little bit mad.

My nominees are (pause for dramatic effect):

1. Oh So Gawjess

Her blog is a perfect mix of mummy-ness and lifestyle and she's a lovely girl!

2. Magpie Jasmine

I love her honest make up reviews and often have a look to see if she has reviewed a product before I go out and buy it myself

3. JennieWren3

I met this girl on my course and instantly became friends with her. Her blog is awesome and she has just gotten back into blogging on a more regular basis! Go and check her out and tell her I sent you!

4. Connor's Little Life

This gut has been one of my best friends for a long time and after bugging him to start blogging he finally has! He's a blogging newbie so go and give him your support

5. Hungry Healthy Happy

The delicious and healthy recipes on this blog make detoxing and dieting easy! Dannii looks fantastic and she's even recently signed a book deal! You go girl!