As my girlfriends and I stand on the precipice of "real adulthood," I think I speak for all of us when I say that there is a lot of uncertainty in our fast- approaching futures.
Sometimes the future can seem so big and scary that we quickly forget how far we've come, and the obstacles we have already conquered.
We might only be twenty-somethings, but in the course of the last five years, our lives have transformed more than we could have ever imagined. We've learned what it means to be women. Yes, we've realized the undeniable challenges of womanhood in a world built for men, but we've also strived amidst these challenges.
We've grown stronger and more courageous. We have the unique advantage of both conquering these adolescent toils, and vividly remembering how they felt.
So here's my best advice to you, 15-year-old girl. Good luck out there.
1. Dream Huge
People will tell you that your dreams are too big and that you are too small. Prove them wrong. Do something incredible. Be eternally inspired by the fire in your belly.
2. Be Unapologetically You
Your inner compass will guide you truer than the hand of even the most handsome man. Be unapologetically you. Be bold. Be awesome. Don't apologize when you've done nothing wrong.
3. Be a Sister to Every Girl
Build your fellow sisters up, don't tear them down. She may be beautiful, but so are you. Be comfortable with this. Envy is no excuse for cruelty or slander.
4. Plant Your Own Garden
Plant a garden with the seeds of your wildest dreams. Watch flowers bloom. Know they are more beautiful than a lover's bouquet any day.
5. Love Smart
Pretty faces with smooth words will buy you chocolates. Sometimes they're filled with lemon juice when you expected caramel. The day will come when you'll need to walk away from someone who means everything. It will be excruciating. Pain is temporary, but knowing your worth is forever.
6. Be More Than Beautiful
People will tell you that you are beautiful before they say that you are intelligent, courageous, or strong. You are beautiful. You are also a thousand other things. Let the foundation of your personhood be made of your steadfast convictions and the unfaltering strength of your character. Beauty will never be enough to guide you through life's darkest forests.
7. Get To Know Yourself
If you are lonely, never look to past lovers to cushion your aching heart. They have left you broken before, they will do so again. For company, get to know yourself better. Be your own hero.
So go ahead. Walk onward with intensity, wit, and grace all at once. Stop for no one. You've got this.
