I’m sorry to have to break it to you.

This is what no one tells you about growing up:

1. There will be slumps.

2. There will be lackluster performances.

3. There will be days, weeks, and maybe even months when nothing will translate into success despite all your effort.

4. There will be some nights that are longer and darker than most other nights.

5. There will be days that feel like nights.

6. There will be phases of transition, and you will merely have to let them pass.

7. People who came to mean the world to you and who you came to mean the world to will leave, or you will leave.

8. You may not necessarily marry your first love.

9. You may marry someone you don’t love. (At least, not initially.)

10. Love may happen more than once. Or not at all.

11. Your first job may not be your dream job.

12. You may see divorce or a failed marriage up close. Either your own, your parents’, a sibling’s, a close friend’s or maybe even your child’s.

13. No matter how much you try, there will be moral failings and slip-ups.

14. There will be moments of weakness, and there will be moments when you give in to that weakness.

15. You will be let down by loved ones, and you will let loved ones down.

16. There will be moments of faithlessness, darkness, and absolute confusion.

17. It’s not possible to have it all figured out at any given point in time.

18. Situations and obstacles occur simultaneously, not one at a time—one after the other.

19. You will come to learn that a lot of what you were taught or raised to believe is not correct, or at least not for you.

20. Thought processes, beliefs, and values may change over time.

21. There is little that remains constant, whether it’s people or circumstances.

22. Jobs are not only lost due to incompetence but also over-competence.

23. Older doesn’t necessarily mean wiser, more mature, or more evolved.

24. Milestones are few and far between.

25. The illness of a loved one brings more pain and suffering than one’s own suffering.