There are so many lessons and things that I wish I could go back in time and tell myself. So basically, that's what i'm here to tell you. Take it as you will, but maybe it might help some of you who are trying to find yourself.

I have dealt with people over the past few years that I haven't dealt with since high school. It was all good and fun until they started expecting me to be the person I used to be. I am NOT that girl anymore. There has been so much to happen in the time from then until now. I graduated high school FIVE years ago. In that time, I have loved, gotten my heart broken, quit college, worked my butt off for nothing, started back to school, fallen in love again (with the greatest man EVER), and so much more. But most importantly, I've learned who I am.

However, if I could go back in time and visit myself in high school I would tell myself this: Take Your Time. There is no reason to rush through anything. Don't rush through school. Don't rush through life. And definitely take your alone time. Don't worry about dating. I probably would've had such a better time in life if I would've left boys alone. But then again, pretty much every relationship except the one I'm in now was a toxic one.

1. Appreciate the people you have while you have them.

If I had a dollar for every time that I wished that I could go back and just have one more conversation with people in my life that have passed away, I'd probably be rich. People I rarely even talked to. People that I talked to every day. Especially, the people that I walked by every day and they just made you happy because they were happy. You need to appreciate those people. Crazy things happen every single day and there is absolutely no way of knowing which moment will be your last with someone.

2. Don't worry about what people think.

There have been so many minutes and hours of everyone's lives that they're sitting and wondering what people think. "I don't want them to think less of me", "I hope she likes my shirt", "I hope my hair looks okay", etc. You know what? Screw them. If you are happy doing what you're doing then, girl, BE HAPPY! Does it really even matter what other people think about the clothes you wear? If your parents can't afford the newest trends, then your butt better be as appreciative as possible that you even have clothes. What does it matter if people don't like what you're wearing? Wear it anyway! And if your hair has fly-aways or bumps, then you better rock those bumps! You need to be the best version of you that you can be and nothing else!

3. Be friends with people that make you better, not people that treat you like crap.

Let me start off by saying that I have had the same best friend for almost 23 years. She has been there when no one else was. She has had my back no matter how many times I've been talked about, made fun of, or mistreated. She has always been there. And everyone has friends that come and go. Best friends, work friends, and everything in between. However, I have had so many toxic friendships. People that would beg you to pull them out of a fire and when you do they will push you right in it. Life is way too short to waste on people who don't give a crap about you. and trust me, I'm a terrible judge of character, but I do my best.

4. Last, but not least, don't ever feel like you don't have anyone.

If you are anything like me, sometimes you're just not okay. The only difference is that when I was in highschool, I tried talking to everyone about my problems. My mother and I had our own issues. My life pretty well sucked most days. It was all just legitimately terrible (in my eyes, anyway). I talked so terribly about my mom and everything else that sucked so bad about my life when in reality, I needed to grow up. My point in all of this is that I felt like I had no one. and sometimes I still feel like that. But if you're feeling like that you just need to step back and take a look at all of the people that love you. For example, my Mom and Stepdad, boyfriend, best friend, and so many more. You have people in your life that love you so much. All that you have to do is talk to them.

If I could go back in time and tell myself everything that I'm telling you, I probably would've found myself long before now.