18 THINGS BEFORE I TURN 18

Today I turn 17 and so I thought that there was no better post to do today than writing about all the things that I would like to do before my 18th birthday. Seeing as it is now only a year away, I wanted to keep the list realistic but also try and push myself to do some things that I've always wanted to do. 

Apply to University

This one is definitely already at the forefront of my mind and I'm aiming to send off my UCAS application off in October 2019, so not far now. As of right now, I still have quite a few decisions left to make but I think there will be a post coming up very soon about my plans. I'm really hoping that I can get this one ticked off very soon but I want to do it properly, in the hopes that I can get into my dream university. 

Pass my Driving Test

Now that I'm 17, I am now able to legally learn to drive in England, and honestly, I'm so excited to be out on the road. I am aiming the learn to drive quite quickly as I am hoping to do an intensive course, so fingers crossed I pass in the next year or so. Ideally, I'd pass before 2020, but I don't want to put too much pressure on it so we will see. 

Get a Job

I spoke about this a few posts back and I'm still keeping my fingers crossed on some of the applications I have sent off but right now, I definitely feel ready to commit to having a job. I'm at the point now where I want to start earning money that I can save and invest but I am also keen to gain the experience and all the things that come with having a job. There is one particular job that I'm really hoping that I get but I will definitely be letting you know as soon as I get a definite job. 

Sit ALevel Exams

This one is also pretty inevitable considering that I am about to into year 13 in September but my ALevel exams are coming a lot quicker than what I expected. I'm really hoping that when I come to sit the exams, I'm as prepared as possible but also really proud of how far I will have come. These exams are definitely going to take a priority over most other things in my life but fingers crossed it will be worth it when I get my results next August. 

Go to Prom

I never got a prom when I finished high school and so my sixth form prom will be my first. Although it's quite far away, I have been thinking about prom and I've been on and off about the idea of going but I definitely think that it would be a great chance for me to celebrate the end of exams.

Save Money

This one is a pretty vague one but I do think that it is necessary for me to mention as right now, I have a lot of things that I would love to do like travelling or saving money to buy a car and obviously, they are quite big investments to make and so that's why saving money has made this list. I do think that I am a pretty good saver but I want to be even more conscious of how I'm spending my money and hopefully once I do get a job, this will be a whole lot easier. 

Take Part in a Charity Run

So far this year, my fitness has fluctuated quite a bit but I definitely want to get back on it and work towards doing a charity run. I say that I'm going to do it every year, but I never get around to it but I am going to make an even bigger effort to do it before I turn 18. I'm going to try and do a 5k run as I feel like that is the best way for me to begin and it is something that I could quite happily train for. 

Develop a New Skill

Once again, this is pretty brief but I wanted to keep it vague so that I could learn any skill that I was drawn towards. There are quite a few that I have in mind but I really want the chance to experiment and find something that I really love. I have already started taking up a few things like golf and photography but I want to see if there is anything else that I would like to take up. Growing up, I never really did many clubs and if I did, they were only in the short term so I would really like to commit myself to something that I am really passionate about. Obviously, it would be great to develop a few new skills but I want to make sure that they are things that I see myself doing in the long term and so I'm going to aim for one new skill and anything extra is a bonus. 

Focus on Fitness

I mentioned this previously but I would really like to work on my fitness and hopefully see some physical differences in my body. My body has always been a huge insecurity of mine and although I have gotten better at coping with that insecurity, there are somethings that I am able to change and would, therefore, like to change. As a long term goal, I would like to give myself this year to really focus on my fitness, focus on my health and I really want to see a difference in the way I look but also the way I look at myself. 

Open up more on my Mental Health

This has been something really new to me this year and it is definitely something that I want to get better at. As of right now, I tend to open up on my blog the most, just because of how therapeutic it is to me, but I would really like to start trusting the people close to me and opening up to them about the way I feel without feeling guilty about it. 

Throw a Party

I feel like this one is a bit of a random one, but I love organising things and I think that organising a party would be so exciting so that is something I really want to accomplish. As of right now, I definitely don't plan on doing this for my own 18th, instead, there is something I've already got planned for someone close to me so now it is just a case of executing it as well as I can. Obviously, I won't be doing it alone but I definitely want to play a big role in ensuring that it is a great event and hopefully it will be. 

Sell One of my Pieces of art
Drawing and art have always been such a huge passion of mine and I finally feel like I'm at the stage now where I am finding my style. I definitely would like to do some commission pieces in the hopes that I would be able to sell one of them just so that I could grow in confidence. 

Have a Photoshoot
Like I said before, I am really trying to develop my photography skills and so I would love to have a full photoshoot. The type of photography I would love to pursue is fashion photography but right now I'm still waiting for a few opportunities to get some amazing pictures. I would love to have a photoshoot with my friends just to see what the outcome is like and hopefully develop my skills even further. 

Volunteer
This one is also in the works right now and hopefully, everything will go to plan but I would love to volunteer at a regular basis for a local charity that I really believe in. The one I am currently in the works of joining is so super exciting and it is definitely something I'd love to talk about more on my blog once I've settled there. I just think that an opportunity to volunteer somewhere would benefit not only myself but a well-deserving charity. Although I've never volunteered for a long period of time, whenever I have done a little bit of volunteering, it has always given me such a positive and open-minded outlook, so I think I'd like to work on that further in a more consistent environment. 

Travel to a New Place
There are so many amazing places that I have already seen at such a young age which is something I am so grateful for and it has really given me more ambition to see even more amazing places. I have a few in mind right now that I would love to see in the next few years but whether they happen or not is another story but if I do go anyway, I'm sure you'll hear about it on my blog.

Document More Memories
I feel like I am constantly saying this, but I am so bad for not taking pictures or documenting incredible moments in my life and that is something that I am trying to work on more and more as I get older. Hopefully, the next 12 months are going to be incredibly exciting and eventful so I really want to make sure that I capture as much of it as possible. 

Complete a Rubix Cube
Another random one I guess, and at the start of the year, I was so close to nearly doing this but I gave up before I managed it. Just for the satisfaction of it, I'd love to be able to solve a Rubix cube by myself. I have a few people in my life who can do it and so I plan on their help when trying this but fingers crossed I at least manage to do it a handful of times before I turn 18. 

Create an Item of Clothing
Most of you will know that I love all things fashion and although right now, I'm working on upcycling some of my old clothes, I would also love to make an item of clothing from scratch. Right now I have a few ideas and definitely more than one piece of clothing that I'd like to create right now, but I want to make sure that whatever I make is genuinely wearable and something I could see becoming a staple in my wardrobe. It is definitely a little project I want to give myself over the summer. 

Hopefully, you enjoyed this post, I guess it was something a little different!
Grace xx