Although I am still young, there are an endless amount of things that I wish I could go back and drill into my younger mind. The following letter is for the younger me who wishes that I knew the advice from the 'me' today.
Dear Younger Self,
Where do I begin? Let us start with, no matter how many times people say to not worry about what others think, listen. No one's opinion matters more than your own. Although I wish that you knew that you are beautiful without make-up, never let anyone tell you that you are wearing too much. If make-up is what makes you feel confident, then wear it. You will realize when growing older, though, that you are so beautiful with and without it.
Moving forward, recognize that it does not matter that you were not invited to all of the "cool" parties. I know that you would beat yourself up when you sat in on a Saturday night with your mom while you watched SnapChat stories of everyone drinking, but know that it was for the good in the long-run. You value your family and you make time for your friends. Never give up on either.
Secondly, listen to your heart. Sometimes friendships fall apart, that is OK. Although at the time you beat yourself up thinking that everything was your fault, realize that it was not; it was no one's fault. You grow, you change, you find new interests and friendships no longer are the same.
It is common to become two new people and to realize that the friendship is not what it once was.
There are so many other new best friends waiting for you in the world. Find them all and do not be scared to branch out of your comfort zone and make new friends. Along with friendships, listen to your heart when it comes to relationships. You are young and your first significant other will most likely not be your last. Have fun and stop worrying about the future.
Make the most of the relationship in the moment and know that if it does come to an end, then it is for the better. Do not let anyone tell you what you need or what you should do because you know what is best for you and you should go do it. Besides that, listen to your heart for what you desire for yourself.
When in high school, you are faced with the choice of where to go to college. Sure, it is stressful, but never again put yourself in the tremendous amount of stress that you did. Look, you ended up at school that you are so happy at and you realized that your choice was not so hard after all.
Remember to stay calm and recognize that you are going to get through the situation no matter how big or small.
Finally, be yourself. Never let anyone tell you that your quirky personality is "weird" or "odd." There are people out there that will love you and want to be friends with you, so that one person means nothing in a world full of caring, kind-hearted people.
By being someone that you are not, you lose focus on who you are and what you strive to be.
You were put here on this Earth to be the best person that you can be. There are going to be times where you will hate your body and society's standards, but never do anything harmful to yourself. It will only dig you into a deeper hole. Instead, be the strong woman that I know you are and climb. Climb out of that hole and find that happiness that is always going to be there.
Stop following standards; be your own unique one and own it.
