When I was 10 years old, my biggest worries in the world consisted of wondering if I was going to be late to school, what Abercrombie outfit I was going to wear and pondering on what yummy snacks my mom packed in my lunch for that day. Ten years later, I still wake up wondering if I am going to be late to class. And although my style choice has changed over the years, I still struggle with picking an outfit each day (mostly because I can rarely find a pair of shorts in my piles of clothes, but that’s beside the point) and I only wish that I left the door with a sacked paper lunch with a cute note tucked inside from my mom. But those days are long gone and now I am lucky if I walk out the door without my coffee spilling down the front of my white t-shirt.
As time flashes by us there are several things I sit here knowing now and wishing I could have told my 10 year old self to prepare for back then. As a kid, my biggest fear was wondering if I was going to finish lunch in time to play on the swings before the bell rang. I never knew how much pain, heartbreak, and change was to come. However, if I had been able to tell myself that boys will forever drool and girls will always rule, I probably would have giggled and rolled my eyes and continued running after the cute boy on the handball court. In life, there are just some things one cannot prepare for, and I have realized that without a few falls and a handful of tears I would not be the person I am today. Yet, there will always be a few tips every girl should remember as the years go by.
1. You will have your heart broken. The saddest part, is that it will probably happen to you more than once. You will find a boy who will blow your world, show you what it means to truly fall head over heals madly, deeply and passionately in love. You will think that you have found the one, however, sometimes life isn’t like the fairytales and not all the time does the princess end up with her Prince Charming. Sometimes, the prince leaves the ball too early and you have to dance alone before the right guy steps in. But I promise you, one day you will wake up and each day you will hurt a little less and breathe a little easier and, eventually, you will be able to love again.
2. Don’t let mean people bring you down. Your true friends will never make you feel like you are less than, or have to compete for their friendship. When you find the ones who can laugh at your mistakes, encourage you to be better and support you when you are down, don’t let these ones go.
3. Always be the bigger person. You will never win a battle by fighting fire with fire. Sometimes, the best way to rise above those mean people out there is to kill ‘em with kindness. Mom always told you that if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all. Stick with that!
4. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. We live in a world where everyone is constantly competing to fit in, be at the top of the trend and is afraid to be thought of as uncool or weird. I am telling you, right now, be anything and everything you want to be. Never let someone, or something, prevent you from following your dreams or being who you want to be. You rock, girlfriend, so keep doing your thing ‘cause you are currently killing it!
5. Stop doing things just because other people want you to, do things solely for the reason that they make you happy. The second you find yourself doing something just to please someone else, stop! Listen to your heart and follow your dreams. Do the things that you are passionate about.
6. Don’t be afraid of change. If you are unhappy in a situation, have the courage to change it. People will always have something to say. But guess what? Those people don’t matter. The only thing that truly matters is your happiness and the happiness you bring others.
7. Forgive and forget. Life is too damn short to waste a second of it. Instead of planning the future, or reminiscing on the past, we need to be happy for where we are and enjoy the moment 'cause if the last ten years flew by just imagine how fast the rest of your life will go. Don’t miss it!
8. You are not invincible. Sleep, eat healthy, work out and drink water. Your body cannot handle too many all nighters in a row, with too much booze and not enough food. You only have one body, so take care of it!
9. Learn from your mistakes. You are going to mess up, a lot, so learn from it! Each mistake is an opportunity to grow.
10. Mom is almost always right. As you get older you will realize you may not always see eye to eye with your mom but 99.9 percent of the time she is going to be right. Listen to her. She went through everything you have been through. Not only will she give you the best advice, she knows you better than anyone else. Listen!
11. Spend more time with the ones you love. Life goes by quick and it is better to spend it with the ones who mean the most, rather than the ones who don’t matter!
12. Never give up on the things you love. Everyone has his or her passions, so never quit something that makes you feel alive.
13. Everything will eventually be okay. I promise you the battles you are currently facing, that feel like the end of your world, will one day be a thing of the past and will only make you stronger and more prepared for the future. So keep your chin up, girl, and smile through the pain, the heartache, the disappointments and the tears 'cause one day all these battles will seem so minuscule and will lead to an immense amount of happiness. Life is pretty cool and there are so many reasons to be happy.
They say hind sight is 20/20. However, I question exactly what I would say, or how I would say it, because looking at where I am now, I turned out okay. Maybe if I'd known then what I know now, I would not be the strong, independent, happy girl I am.
I guess everything truly does happen for a reason and if we know what is right around the corner the ride just isn’t quite the same. By protecting ourselves from sadness we also prevent ourselves from experiencing happiness. My advice to those little girls prancing around the playground with mix-matched outfits and smiles on their faces would be life is a wild ride; hang on tight, enjoy every second and never dare let someone steal your sparkle, your smile or your reason to shine.
I promise -- you make it out alive and, no, you never get over that boy-crazed phase.
