Dear My 13 Year Old Self,

No, middle school will not be the death of you. In fact it is just the start. There are a lot of things you haven't realized yet, and now looking back I think it would be extremely helpful if you knew some of it now.

1. Not everyone needs to like you. I remember our struggles of trying to please everyone and wanting people to be your friend but not everyone is going to like you or be your biggest fan. That's just the way it goes and that's okay. All the time and effort you spent trying to please everyone doesn't please the most important person: yourself. That being said, yes, try to be nice to everyone you meet but sometimes you just can’t win them all over.

2. In most instances Dr. Seuss is always correct. “Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." I know it's hard at 13 but you have to remember to always be yourself. If anyone has a problem with you then maybe they are not worth keeping around because you and your feelings are important and you should never have to settle for anyone who doesn't agree.

3. You are always a good reason to be happy. You may not be the prettiest, the thinnest, the strongest, the fastest, or the most popular but you can always be the happiest, the purest of heart, and the toughest. You and only you get to decide what YOU want to be and the way you view yourself cannot and should not change when your feelings get hurt.

4. Never change unless it's for yourself. Dumbing yourself down for anyone is never okay. Changing your appearance to follow the crowd is not what you need to be doing. Find what you like and don't focus so much on your appearance. It's important to ask yourself the following question: if the world were blind how many people would I still impress?

5. Lastly, pretty soon you are going to be getting ready to go to high school. And I don't mean for this to scare you but who you are going into high school is not who you will be coming out and it's going to be the same with the people who are by your side. But don't worry 13-year-old me it is all for the best, I promise. You are in store for some of the wildest times, some loud and uncontrollable laughs, heartwarming hellos, sorrowful goodbyes, some crazy late night adventurers, some magical high school sporting events, and much much more. You will feel fear at some points, but I promise you, feel the fear and do it anyway. Also keep this in mind: as you get older things will seem a lot lamer than they were before. But nothing will change but yourself. So stay happy, stay loud, keep your light bright and smile big because life is entirely what you make of it.

Love always,

Your 18 year old self

Ps. 14 is going to be a great year for you.