1) Never Sacrifice Your Happiness

Life is so short whether we notice it or not. If you looked back to the first day of elementary school you would ask yourself how you got to be so old so quickly. You’ll find that by the time you reach ‘adulthood’, your circle is small and your friendships are genuine. Be there for your friends, never leave anybody behind, be their anchor in the middle of the ocean but remember that your happiness matters too. If one of your friendships brings you down more than it builds you up, drop it. You only need good vibes in your life, so surround yourself with good people

2) The people you thought you were going to have forever, leave.

We can all remember sitting in the playground during recess with our very best friends talking about how we would be in each other’s weddings, and now we don’t speak to most of those same friends. Whether they moved, your friendships faded, or you had a falling out, they aren’t a part of your life anymore. People change, and grow apart and no matter how sad it is, it’s the truth. The people your start with are rarely the people you will finish with.

3) Keep the people in your life who encourage you to be a better version of yourself.

Never let yourself fall into temptations, never follow the crowd, and never let the people closest to you be a poor influence. You know your worth, and you know what you deserve. Always strive to be the best version of yourself, and make sure the people your surround yourself with encourage you to be your best.

4) Everything really does happen for a reason.

Things don’t always work out the way we want them to, but something better will eventually come out of that. There is a reason for everything, whether or not it’s what you wanted to happen, something better will happen. Don’t give up just because life isn’t going according to your plans, things will fall into place.

5) Do your best in everything you do.

Never half-ass anything you do. There is absolutely no point in doing anything if you’re not going to put forth your best effort. You want to portray yourself the way you should be seen, successful and smart. Always do your best, and do something over and over again until you get it right.

6) Never give up.

Life is definitely not easy, and nobody said it would be. However, that doesn’t mean that when the seas get choppy you get to back down. You can’t retreat when times get hard, you need to stand tall and face adversity and conquer it. Don’t waste your life backing down, be the best version of yourself and push through it.

7) Be positive.

Positive vibes only. Being negative gets you nowhere, makes you feel miserable, and brings everyone else down. Be the person that people want to be around because you’re always bringing joy to the room. There’s no need to put more negativity into the world, there’s enough.

8) Take care of the Earth, it's important.

Imagine walking into your house after vacation, and finding it filled with trash like a landfill. Everything is moldy, and your house is now inhabitable. This is literally what is happening to the Earth. Our planet is slowly deteriorating, and it’s all thanks to the people who inhabit it. We need to seriously think about the life our children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews will live. Our planet does nothing but provide life to us and we repay it by killing its wildlife, and ruining its nature. Take care of your planet, it’s YOUR home.

9) Keep secrets.

We are human, it is natural to need to get things off of our chests. If someone tells you something as a secret, have the decency to keep the secret. Even if that person wrongs you, be a better person and keep their secret. Do unto others as you would have them to unto you.

10) Be nice to everyone, you don't know what they're going through.

Everyone has their own story to tell. As corny as that sounds, it’s true. You don’t know what someone goes through at home and you don’t know how people are coping with their lives. Be considerate, and always be kind. Only good karma comes from good actions.

11) Everything is temporary.

Appreciate what is happening in your life now, but if you don’t like the things that are happening to you just remember that it is only temporary. This too shall pass.

12) If someone says they don't care about you, believe them.

Don’t waste your time trying to get the attention you want from that boy, or your parents, or your friends. If they say they don’t care, if they act like they don’t care, then neither should you. Move on. Hold your head up high.

13) Don't make enemies.

Having enemies requires you to put in extra effort into hating people. You don’t need that. Save your energy, be friendly. Be nice to the people who don’t like you, because chances are they are just jealous of you.

14) Your weight really doesn't matter.

Eat the chicken nuggets you want at 4 a.m. Have the ramen, the pizza, the donuts, or anything else you want. Spoil yourself, you deserve it.

15) Don't procrastinate.

Get your stuff done before the due date. Take advantage of the time you have, and get it done. This way you have time to revise it, and like I mentioned before, put your best effort into it.

16) Focus on yourself.

Care about other people, but put yourself before others. Don’t focus on having a significant other, don’t focus on being accepted by others, focus on accepting yourself. Be comfortable with yourself. You can’t be confident with anybody else if you’re not confident in yourself.

17) Don't take yourself too seriously.

Laugh a lot, be adventurous, be wild and spontaneous. Laugh at yourself, tell jokes, make memories worth talking about in the future. Life is not supposed to be miserable, have fun!!

18) Life isn't topped with a bow, but it is still a gift.

Treat your life like it is a gift each day because you are not promised tomorrow. Make the most of each day, take advantage of what you’re given. It could be stripped from you tomorrow.

Works Cited

Solomon, Robert C. Existentialism. New York: Oxford UP, 2005. Print.