1. Snow White: Be careful who you trust.

Often in life, we put our trust in the wrong people. We let strangers enter into our lives and hope they are not going to betray us in any way. Snow White taught us that sometimes people are not who they seem to be on the outside. We have to get to know those around us before we should fully trust them.

2. Cinderella: Never let anyone turn you away from what you want in life.

Everyone grows up having different dreams and hopes for the future. Cinderella did not let anyone stop her from going after her dreams of meeting the prince. We can learn from her that sometimes it is necessary to just go for what we want even when people try to hold us back. When her own family ridiculed her and held her back, she persisted. If I had a Prince Charming like that, I would want to go after him too.

3. Aurora: Do not waste any moments in life.

This one may be a little bit more obvious since she is also known as Sleeping Beauty. A curse traps her into an eternal slumber until true love may kiss her and wake her up, but she misses so many things during that time asleep. This princess is one of my personal favorites because she taught me to never waste even a second. I have to live each day as if it were my last. We should do things now before it is too late. Time can never be paused forever, so we have to make the most of it now.

4. Ariel: Love yourself for who you are not who you wish you could be.

Ariel turns herself human while giving up every other piece of herself including her voice, her family, and her mermaid tail. She goes after Prince Eric while losing herself bit by bit during the process. At the end of the movie she turns back into a mermaid, and they STILL ARE IN LOVE. She learns that being yourself and staying true to who you are is more important than anything else. He falls in love with the real her rather than her appearance; they did not let their differences divide them. I think we can all learn something from that.

5. Belle: External appearance does not define your inner person.

Often people put so much focus on their physical appearance that it overshadows many parts of their real self. We color our hair, wear lots of makeup, go to the gym to lose some weight or to gain muscle, and just become entirely new. Those things can be good for your physical health, but if you only focus on that part of yourself you will begin to lose other sides of you. Forming your personality and values should be equally as important, if not more. The next time you go to judge someone, judge their inner self rather than their external appearance.

6. Jasmine: You don't have to conform to stereotypes.

In my opinion, she is one of the strongest princesses because she does not let anyone tell her what she should do or who she should be. Even if they tell her, she is not one to listen to their opinions. Stereotyping is a real concern in today's society especially among youth who are just figuring out who they are and how they fit into life. We cannot let these stereotypes become us if we want to have some independence and control.

For example, if the whole world says you have to be married to a certain prince because your dad is the sultan, feel free to ignore society to fall in love with a poor boy from the streets who actually makes you somewhat happy for once. Break those stereotypes just like Jasmine does.

7. Pocahontas: Take care of nature because it takes care of you.

A lot of this movie features nature because it is based on a time period before modern society where so much of nature is being destroyed. The trees are alive because no one was cutting them down yet. She is one with nature because she understands its importance.

Without it we would not even be here today. This movie teaches me to be kind to animals and to take care of the planet when I can otherwise we will lose our resources. It also teaches me that sometimes peace can be found in the most quiet of places--mostly in your own soul.

8. Mulan: Give your family something to make them proud of you.

If that means joining the military and fighting for your family's name, then go for it. It can also be in smaller ways such as finishing school, getting a real job that pays decent, being in a steady relationship or marriage, having kids to pass on the family name, or any other ways you can think of. Even if you are not that close to your parents or your family, a part of you still wants to make them proud of you. We are constantly living up to expectations, and it is a good feeling when we exceed or meet those.

9. Tiana: Let your dreams become realities.

If you are dreaming of something, go after it. Tiana taught us that sometimes hard work is necessary in order to achieve our goals. She never gave up even when times were tough or money was tight. A lot of people can relate to her situation because not everything came easy to her. She constantly had to keep pushing herself to achieve, and that is something we can learn from her to apply to our own lives.

10. Rapunzel: Live your life the way you want it to be.

One of the worst feelings to have in life is regret. Often I hear that you should "live life to the fullest", and that could not be more true. This princess was trapped in a tower for most of her life without ever knowing what life was like beyond that. She had dreams of leaving the tower and finding out about the world, but she could never act on it. Flynn Rider was the first triggering point to help motivate her to go outside her comfort zone.

She was finally able to enjoy life the way she always wanted to but never could under Mama Gothel's care. Everyone needs a bit of that adventurous Rapunzel spirit in life to be able to live it fully and freely as we want to without being held back. At the end of it all, she probably has no regrets because she is not holding back anymore.

11. Merida: Girls can be just as strong as guys.

She is one of Disney's strongest feminine characters by far. She protects her family, defies the odds countless times, and to top it all off, she can shoot an arrow better than any of the others. She does not need a man because she is so confident in herself. I mean, the name of her movie gives it away because she really is a brave and courageous young girl.

12. Elsa: Just let your worries in life go. LET. IT. GOOOO.

We become too wrapped up in our problems that they interfere with our happiness in life. Our lives can become clattered and stressful with all the different things going on at once. Elsa teaches us to stop worrying about the future and just make the most of now. Focus on yourself and your mental health when times get tough. Just be content knowing who you are and that everything will be okay in the end.

13. Anna: Never become distant from your loved ones.

Family is one of the most important things in the whole world. They are the ones who started this life with you, and they should be there to see the rest of it. Families are not perfect especially relationships with siblings. You may fight, argue, yell, or want to stop talking entirely, but they are still your loved ones despite all that. No one said it would be easy to get along, but you have to want to maintain those relationships.

Anna drops everything to go after her sister to make sure she is okay. That was never easy for her to do, but she knew she should do it anyway because she truly loved her sister. If you are not close to your family, take a piece of Anna with you and make that small effort to reconnect in someway even if that means going to see them to make sure they are okay.

14. Moana: Travel the world to meet your goals.

She had to leave her family and island behind in order to save them. She traveled out of her comfort zone because she was on a mission. Sometimes in life we become so focused on where we currently live and what we are doing there that we never experience anything outside of our ordinary. Traveling seems like something we could never do because we have too many responsibilities or not enough money to leave. Moana teaches us that if you want to achieve something, you might have to leave your normal life behind.