When I was 17, I was young and dumb. I made many mistakes. I wish somebody had been there to tell me these 17 things because Lord knows I needed them.
1.Do what makes you happy.
Seriously, people are going to judge you no matter what you are doing, so do what makes you happy.
2. Friends will come and go.
It is very rare that you will keep all of your friends. It's okay to lose friends. People change and drift apart. You will get more friends, so don't stress it too hard. I promise.
3. Don't worry about what college everybody else is going to.
Don't worry if someone is going to a more prestigious school than you. Don't worry where your friends are going. Go where you want to go. Do not decide what school you are going to spend four years at just because your friends are going there. You will meet new people no matter where you go and you don't have to stop being friends with somebody just because you go somewhere else.
4. Find out who you are.
Figure out what your passions are. Find out what inspires you. Figure out your beliefs. It makes it so much easier to have a voice this way.
5. Don't change yourself for anybody.
This excludes yourself. If you are changing yourself for the better and for personal reasons, that's fine. DO NOT change yourself for a boy or the "popular" crowd. It won't be worth it.
6. Your health is important.
Your physical and mental health are SO SO SO important. I cannot stress this enough. Do not let anybody or anything damage your health. If you need to take a mental health day from school, that's okay. Those are definitely important because school can be really hard on your mental health.
7. Tell your friends that you love them.
You never know when you lose them, so don't take them for granted.
8. Love yourself.
Loving yourself is so important. Take care of yourself and just love yourself more than you love anybody else. Nobody can love you like you can (except for your mom of course).
9. Try new things.
Try new hobbies. Try new foods. Travel to new places. You never know what you will like, so try as many things as you can.
10. Trust your gut.
This will probably save you a lot of heartaches. 9/10 your gut is right.
11. It's OKAY to have some alone time.
Don't let people judge you for wanting to be alone sometimes. Being alone can be good for you. Sometimes you just need a break from all of the noise and chaos of life.
12. Crying is okay.
Everybody does it.
13. Don't be mean to others.
Life is too short to be full of hate and bitterness. If you don't have anything nice to say, just don't say it at all. There's no need to be mean and hurt somebody. Seriously, what will you get out of that?
14. Apologize.
When you mess up, recognize that. Own it. Apologize. Apologizing can really take a weight off of you. It can also help mend relationships.
15. Forgive.
Don't hold grudges. You will feel so much better if you forgive people. Even if they haven't apologized. You just have to let things go.
16. Hang out with your mom.
It may not seem like the "cool" thing to do, but you will regret it if you don't.
17. Life goes on.
No matter what you say or what you do, life goes on. Whether you wanted it to or not, life keeps going every day. It doesn't slow down for anybody. Don't sweat the small things because soon they won't matter.
If you're young and 17, I hope you take into consideration these 17 things.