Tyler Oakley. For any avid YouTube watcher, content creator, or teenage fan girl, Tyler Oakley is a household name. A man with flawless hair and an icon for the LGBTQ+ community, Tyler Oakley is one of the biggest names on the Internet, with his always trending #TeamInternet. Inspiring and adorable at the same time, Tyler has been one of the first to reach over a million subscribers on YouTube (As of right now he currently has 7,937,989 plus subscribers, including myself), a New York Times best selling author, four time nominated and twice winner of both the Teen Choice Awards and the Streamy Awards, maker of a documentary, and was even retweeted by Harry Styles! He has accomplished so much, and he is only 26-years-old. If you haven't seen this little crazy bundle of joy, here's his YouTube Channel:
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As a proud fan girl who has meeting Tyler and being retweeted by Tyler on her Bucket List, I feel I can say for everyone that there are some great life lessons I have learned from this man. Be it by book, social media (of which he is master of all), or YouTube, I have learned an awful lot from this little man with a big personality.
1. Be confident in what you do.
If you are not confident in yourself, others will not be in you, so own it. No one can do you better than you! Confidence looks good on everyone, so go slay it!
2. No matter where success takes you, remember where you came from.
Be it Detroit or Fort Myers, it can be easy to lose sight of where you sprouted when you've grown so much. Remember where you come from; it will help you get places.
3. Give back to those who gave to you.
While some may not be able to do as much and Tyler has for some charities, even reminding the people who have helped you in the past that you are thankful for them is more than enough.
4. The only thing to handle the past sometimes is to laugh.
Be it totaling a car or eating a bug, sometimes the best way to move forward is to laugh about the past.... because you know it was a little funny. Just go with it and have the ability to laugh at yourself.
5. Your mom brought you into this world, love her for making something so awesome.
While Mamma and Baby Oakley are mother-son relationship goals, remember that your mom made you, and you are amazing. So thanks mom, I know labor sucked. You're the best.
6. Sometimes a change of location can give you the spark of a life time.
Upon visiting California, everything changed, pointing Tyler in the direction of a job he loved to do. Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need to find your spark.
7. Your past doesn't need to define you... but it can shape you.
Just like where you cane from, your past struggles do not have to dominate who you are for your whole life. When you grow from them, you become an amazing human being, so learn from them and remember them, but don't give your past struggles the power to affect you anymore.
8. It is totally fine to fangirl!
You know you do it. Be them celebrity crushes or stalking a band, there is a little bit of fangirl in us all. You don't have to hide, #TeamInternet will always embrace your fangirling, and welcome you. I do it more than I should, but why hide who you are.
9. It is alright if you don't have it all together.
Does anyone ever really have their life completely figured out? If you feel like you're floundering, there's someone out there going through the same feeling. You don't have to feel pressured to be on top of things or have your life totally together by a certain age. Sometimes you're 26 wearing a onesie on stage, and that is fine. You don't have to be professional all the time or have everything solved. It makes those moments when you are on top of everything all the better!
10. Never give up.
I think Tyler said this one best, "We’ve all been there, and even though it may seem like the end of the world right now, you have so many amazing things in your future and we want to help you get to that, so don’t give up."
Life is full of adventures with ups and downs. While I encourage everyone to learn from their own experiences, Tyler might just be able to act as a reminder, inspiration, and a laugh if you're having a bad day. Go learn your own life lessons young ones, and remember to slay every obstacle you face!
