I find that often in my life I will learn something new and think, “wow, I wish I knew that before I applied for that job, before I got involved with that guy, before I joined that club...” etc.. There are things in life I wish that I knew sooner to save me from a lot of embarrassment, or confusion, or heartbreak. So here are 20 things I learned a little too late (that I hope you can remember when it happens to you):

1. If something makes you uncomfortable, don’t say “yes” just because you don’t want to disappoint another person.
2. Apologize for making mistakes, but never apologize for being who you are.
3. Getting no message is also a message.
4. You are not a failure for quitting a job that you hate. Your happiness matters.
5. You are not a failure for not choosing college after high school. School isn’t for everybody.
6. You are not a failure.
7. Don’t pretend that what they did doesn’t hurt you purely because you don’t want to lose them in your life. Your feelings matter, too. Tell them.
8. But make sure to forgive, for your own well being.
9. Always tell the people you love how much you care about them. Just one sentence, one text, one phone call can be enough to save lives.
10. Spend time with your family. Seriously, all of them, every chance that you get.
11. Don’t feel pressured into something just because everyone else is doing it. You are who you are.
12. Express your passions, be proud to talk about what makes you happy. The people who matter will listen no matter how many times they hear it.
13. You have every right in the world to change if you are unhappy with who you are. But only ever change for yourself - not to impress the boy/girl, not to fit in, not for the attention.
14. Find people who love you for you.
15. Getting one bad grade does not mean that you are not smart. Your intelligence can’t be measured by a number.
16. Sometimes feeling nervous is a good thing, like when you are about to do something out of your comfort zone but you know will be really good for you. Know the difference between the beneficial nervous and the nervous that is your body’s way of telling you “no”.
17. It feels nice to be the person that everyone can confide in, but make sure you have somebody to confide in, too.
18. At one point in your life, take a break from technology. Shut off your phone and go somewhere that makes you realize how small you are compared to the world.
19. Be nice to people, even those you have never met. Everybody is just trying to get by and it’s unbelievable how far a little kindness can go.
20. Avoid toxic relationships. You can’t save everyone but take it from me, I really wish that you could. Walking away doesn’t mean that you are giving up, it means that you are wise enough to know that you can’t save somebody that doesn’t think that they are drowning.