Life is an adventure, and there’s something to learn at every stop. Sometimes you learn it the hard way, and sometimes the easy. There are a lot of things I have learned in the last 18 years, but here are what I find to be the most important.

1.Family is everything.

They are the people who will be there for you now and forever. Go to dinner with them. Love them well.

2.One good friend is better than 10 surface-y friends.

Good friends are sometimes hard to find. If you find one really good friend, invest in them. Don’t go running to find other ones for the sake of being “popular”

3.Appreciate your Parents

Grow out of the 13 year old “my parents are the worst” phase & appreciate the role they play in your life.

4.Be Positive

Having a positive attitude can change your life as well as others.

5.Change Happens

This is one I will always struggle with, but it’s nothing I can stop.

6.Make others happy

Hold the door. Ask someone how their day is going.

7.Take days for yourself

You don’t constantly have to be around others. Take a day to shop by yourself, read the book that’s been on your shelf for months, or treat yourself to a nice meal.

8.Have your own opinions

Just because others think something doesn’t mean you need to think it too, you are your own person.

9.Your mistakes don’t define you.

The mistake you made as Freshman in high school will not matter in 4 years.

10.You are not your grades.

You are more than the F you got on you Chemistry test.

11.Eat the pizza, or the donut, or the candy bar.

Just eat it. Or two, Or three.

12.Make your siblings your best friends

They can teach you more than you think.

13.Be thankful

Start every morning with a thankful thought.

14.Use please & thank you

Manners make a huge difference. Use them.

15.Remember the little things

Remember the favorite movie of the girl who sits next to you in class. Get to know others further than their name.

16.Don’t compare your life to others

Your life is unique, don’t spend time wishing you had another one.

17.Appreciate the little things.

One day they may be the big things.

18.Smile

Smile on good days, bad days, and every kind of day in between.