Dear My Past Self,

The year is 2016, and let me tell you, you are more beautiful, smart, awesome, talented, kind, and loved than you could ever imagine. You have experienced things you never would have dreamed of, both good and bad. And let me tell you, every single day of your life has contributed to who you are as a person. I'm writing to you today because there has been a lot about life that I have learned (and am still learning!) that I would to share with you.

You will experienced heartbreak, and lots of it. The boy you think you are in love with today, you will not be in love with tomorrow. There are very few people who get married to their high school sweetheart, and you aren't one of them. And that is okay. Someday you'll find the one for you, and I can guarantee that the future love of your life will be better for you than your high school boyfriends. You are too young to know what love is at your age, and you can never love another person until you truly love yourself (which you will learn to do someday soon). Do not let a bad breakup or unrequited love stop you from dating and seeing people, you will learn what you need from your future partner through every interaction with people today. Love is a beautiful thing and you are too young to be bitter over a boy you will forget about twenty years from now.

Some, even a lot, of your friends today will not be your friends tomorrow. You are sweet, naive, and stupid right now, and your friends are too. A lot of the people in your life do not belong there, but you cannot see that right now, and it will take a long time for you to figure out. And that is perfectly fine, because you will learn something from all of those people. Some will purposefully leave your life, some will slowly slip away, and there are a lot of times when you won't be able to change that. That too is fine, people change over time. Memories do not change though, so make lots of memories, and take a lot of pictures too, you'll treasure them later on. And most importantly, the people who are meant to be in your life will stay in your life.

Continue to actively pursue your dreams, because you will achieve them someday (and are currently achieving them too). You will do incredible, exciting, and crazy things later on in life. You are the awesome person you've been dreaming of! So always choose to take the path not yet taken, there are lots of adventures out there waiting for you. Stay involved with your passions, they will be what keeps you sane in the future and will drive you towards success. Work hard in school, because good grades make college so much easier for you in a million different ways. Respect the adults in your life, because soon you will be the adult in another person's life. Love your family and love your friends, they love you so much more than you can possibly conceive. Keep yourself healthy, you only have one body so treat it well. Love yourself! Be a kind and caring person, life is so much more enjoyable when you have a good attitude and you treat people the way you want to be treated. Do not be afraid to get into a little trouble, but also remember to be responsible. And always remember that life is a one-time gift, so enjoy it and live it to the max!

Life will always be difficult, there is no denying that. And it does not necessarily magically "get better" one day, you just learn how to make the best of it. I wish I could go back in time and tell you about all of things I know now, but of course, that is impossible. And you know what, I'm glad you will learn these lessons yourself because all of the things you will experience in life will mold who you are as a person. So keep your head up, because your life is pretty fantastic!

Love,

Your future self