Hello, me.
I’m writing this letter to you because you’ve changed, and that’s OK. I know you feel so lost right now about life, but your problems are so small compared to what you go through in the future. I know four years doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is. You’ll go through hard times and lose a lot of people you thought were going to be in your life forever. But you turn out fine, and you figure out your life, sort of. I am only 20, after all.
Cherish cheerleading.
I know you’re excited this year, because you finally became a part of varsity cheerleading. And I know, at this point in time, you just want it to be over because you've been going at it for a couple of months now. Trust me, you will miss it. You will miss the sport that you grew up with. You’ll miss your coaches and your teammates, and you’ll just miss the feeling of stepping out onto the mat. For the next two and half years in the sport, please cherish every moment, because you will no doubt miss everything about it.
It’s OK to change friends.
You are going to go through so many friends, and it's okay because they each teach you a lesson. If a friend makes you feel worse than happy, you need to drop them. Yes, it’s going to be hard, but once you find good ones, you’ll realize that you should’ve never been treated the way they were treating you. It’s important to surround yourself with people that want nothing but the best for you. You'll find friends that make you happy and encourage you to be the best that you can be.
You are smart.
You are so much smarter than you give yourself credit for—don’t listen to people. You’re going to surprise yourself in so many ways. Don’t be discouraged to apply to college, because college is going to be the best thing to happen to you. You’ll change your mind about what you want to do in life so many times in high school. Once you get to college, you’ll have it figured it out. You’re going to surprise yourself and everyone else on what you end up studying, and how good you are at what you do. So keep studying and stop slacking!
Love Mom and Dad.
Your relationship with your parents becomes so much stronger. You’re going to learn how much they support you in everything you do, even the crazy goals you will set for yourself. Your mom becomes one of your best friends, and you soon learn that she is right about almost everything. Listen to her. You’ll make your dad cry more times than once, but don’t be embarrassed. It’s the way he expresses how proud of you he is, and how much he loves you.
Boys suck, but you’ll get over it.
You’ll be heartbroken a couple of times, but my best advice for you is time heals everything. Each person that breaks your heart teaches you a lesson about yourself and life. Stop stressing about finding a boyfriend because all your friends have one. Start worrying about yourself and improving yourself, and eventually someone will come along. I'm still waiting on him but I know he is out there.
So, 16-year-old me, stop stressing about little things because life turns out fine.
