Your 20's. It’s a time we look forward to our whole lives, ten precious years dedicated to us, to being selfish for ourselves, to find ourselves, to travel, to laugh, to cry to experience and to learn. It’s a chance to find the root of our hopes and pursue our passions and dreams. We are finally old enough to make our own life decisions, but still young enough to make critical mistakes. Being a 20-something is about building a foundation, starting from scratch and constructing our lives through experience, through heartbreak, through every failed test and every late night and every star we wish upon.

1. The friends you make in your 20's are the ones to hold on to.

They’re the ones that will be with you as you grow as a person, through every breakup, every drunken night, every job interview. They root for you. They encourage you. They let you know when you look like a hot mess. Constantly reminding you you are better than you know, that you deserve so much more than what you’ve been given. That it’s okay to love deeply and be deeply loved.

2. The world is not against you.

No matter how badly things may seem, nobody is out to get you. There are more people rooting for you and on your side than you know.

3. People probably aren’t thinking about you.

I know that sometimes it’s hard to be ourselves when we are so worried about what other’s think of us. Despite what you may believe, people are not thinking about you as much as you think. According to scienceofpeople.com, we have an average of 60,000 thoughts per day. Even if they thought about you two times a day–that is only 0.03 percent of their mental power. This means that people literally just don’t care about what you look like.

4. Boys will break your heart, but they won’t break you.

There is no doubt about it, unless you were somebody who was lucky enough to score a faithful high school sweetheart, you will have your heartbroken. It will be something that will happen and you will learn to deal with it. Not every guy will like you back. Not every guy will want to be with you. You will get dumped for no reason by the guy you gave everything to. You will move on. You deserve to be loved because you are a goddess. You are a queen. You are Beyonce and she wouldn’t take any of that, so why should you?

5. Only accept great love.

Never, and I mean NEVER love anybody who does not thrill you, excite you, and fight for you with all the passion in the world. Love is meant to be an adventure that touches us deep in our souls. It is great and amazing and wild and spontaneous, don’t accept anything less. Do not let somebody into your heart if they aren’t willing to fight for it.

6. You are in charge of your attitude. Get it together.

YOU are the only one in control of how you feel. Once you realize what is causing these thoughts and feelings, you will see a tremendous difference in your outlook on things.

7. Home is where people love you.

Home does not have to be a set place. It doesn’t have to be a physical house or building or space. Home is where your loved ones are, whether that be your family or your friends at college or your coworkers. It is a place that makes you happy and full.

8. If you’re not failing, you’re not growing.

If we didn’t fail every once in a while, we would never appreciate what it feels like to succeed. Nobody will win every time. You will not always ace your test or do well on a research paper. Failure is one of the world’s greatest teaching tools.

9. You don’t always have to know what’s happening next.

Breathe. Relax. Focus on the present and don’t worry about the future. You don’t always have to have everything figured out immediately. You might not know your major two years into college. You might not know how you’re going to get your first job after graduation. Heck, you may have no idea what you even want to do with your life just yet but that’s okay. Even if everyone appears to have everything together, they’re more than likely just as scared as you.

10. Your body comes first.

Before anything else, your body and your physical, emotional, and mental health comes first. Don’t forget YOU are the most important in YOUR life. Give your body the energy it needs and the breaks when it needs to recharge.

11. If you don’t feel good, do good.

This is something that I try to practice each week. In those moments when I am not feeling good about myself or other stresses in my life, I like to focus that energy on doing something positive for myself and others. Whether that be spending time with a loved one or someone who needs company or volunteering with an organization.

12. Make time for your siblings.

Now that my sister and I are both in college, it has become harder and harder for us to spend time together. Although I don’t get to see her often, I do try to make sure I have time for her in my life. You only get the siblings you were given, you don’t get to choose to have them but you do get to choose to love them and that is so important to me.

13. Make it simple, but significant.

One of my favorite Don Draper quotes from Mad Men. No matter what you do in life, make every action you take simple, but significant. It will make a huge impact.

14. Always ask questions.

Although it can be intimidating sometimes, never be afraid of asking questions. POPSUGAR says,

“Your quest for intelligence should be ongoing. You should never be ashamed of your curiosity about the world and people.”

I’ve always believed that those who ask the most questions are the smartest people in the room because they are the ones who are looking for answers. They are the creative people. They are the people who are deep thinkers and problem solvers.

15. Feeling “adult” is not real.

Adulting is not something that can be learned. It is not a state of being. Some of the oldest people I have met in my life still have the hearts of children. I firmly believe that nobody will ever truly feel like an adult, regardless of age.

16. Always bring a sweater, wedges and lipstick.

This may seem silly, but it’s true. These three items will get you further in life as a woman than you could imagine. You’ll thank me later.

17. Never apologize for being abundant.

Live your life the way you want and never let anyone tell you otherwise. Never apologize for your place on Earth. You are amazing. You are abundant. You are special and perfect in every way and never give someone who doesn’t realize that your time.

18. Feel deeply.

Feel everything deeply. Feel it to your core. Feel every emotion with heart and hurt and joy. Accept these feelings and grow with them.

19. Be the woman your younger self wanted to be.

Remember those days when you were four years old and you dreamed of your life as a grown up? Whatever it was you imagined when you were a little girl, be that. Be the woman your younger self would want to become. Be the woman she would have been proud of.