Dear me,
16-year-old me. Oh the things I want you to know but there would not be enough time to write all of that. To skip through all of the sappy things, here are some notes that you should've known then that you will know now.
Do not be afraid to do things people think you cannot do. Defying the odds are something that you will be encouraged to do when you get older. Aiming high and going out of your comfort zone will be something you do on the reg. Before you know it you will have gone to state for debate in high school. Swam more than you ever could imagine, and join a rugby team in college. So just do it (as Nike would say).
Work harder in high school. Take those AP courses cause they will help you when you decide to go to Stephen F. Austin State University. You will struggle if you do not push yourself and you will see that when you become a junior in college. Because you will be the person to put a social life before school and it will show. But do not fret, you will get your head back on your shoulders and do great things in the upcoming semesters. (Your GPA will survive).
Do not worry about finding Mr. Right as soon as you get into college. Have fun, meet new people. Do not be that girl who is looking for her MRS degree instead of her BA. I can tell you that you will find him later once you put yourself first and (refer back to being adventurous) be a part of another club (*cough, cough* rugby).
Speaking of clubs, do something that is SO not you. You will go Greek for a while and enjoy every minute of it but find out that your roots are back in debate and athletics. So do not worry about being the nerd in college because debate is cool and joining an athletic team will bring you full circle.
APPLY, APPLY, APPLY TO ALL JOBS THAT YOU CAN! There will times where you do not think that you need to work but at the end of the day it will look good on your resume with work experience. You will be a Jack Walker, work as a magazine intern, write for the odyssey at SFA, and many more interviews that sometimes you will have to turn down due to keeping yourself sane.
Do not care what others think of you. It will be hard to understand this but in due time, it will make sense. You will learn from mom that "To thine own self be true" will actually be a thing. And with that, you will come to see that you are the best you can be when you are not worried about what others think or say about you.
Choose joy. There will be many, many, MANY times these next few years where you will get down on yourself and think you are not good enough. You are not strong enough and that there is nothing good in the world that can make you happy. But you have to see that the only person who has control over what you think is you. And with that, you can find the happiness that will make you full and ready to take on the world. Rise and rise again.
So 16 year old me, do not sweat the small stuff in life. Be determined to succeed and go through challenges that will be tough. But at the end of the day leading you up to where you are now, you can do it and that is all that you need to survive in this crazy thing called life.
Sincerely,
Your 21-year-old self
