Dear young teenage girls,
This letter could also be addressed to a young, teenage me, because this is all of the advice I would give myself if I could go back in time for a day. I can’t do that, but I can impart whatever granules of wisdom I’ve acquired along the way with you.
First and foremost – it’s OK to be wishy-washy. And by that I mean… if today you’re sure you’re destined to be a marine biologist, but tomorrow you wake up and want to be a photographer – THAT’S PERFECTLY FINE. You don’t need to have all of your career goals or interests figured out yet. Your brain doesn’t even finish developing until your mid 20’s, and in no way do you need a five-year plan that actually makes sense right now.
The opposite is also true – if you have a burning passion for something, pursue it. Immerse yourself in it and don’t feel discouraged because of your age. Trust me – that part will come faster than you think. I’m serious… most of my peers in college haven’t got it 100% figured out, so if you do then take it and run with it. Run for as long as you can. You have a longer endurance right now, anyway (and it will quickly deplete after graduation when no one is making you do the annual presidential fitness test).
For those in the first category (the full on washing machines on the scale from stable to wishy-washy) let me elaborate… Try a little bit of everything! I’m not saying that just because you don’t need to know what you’re really interested in yet, doesn’t mean this isn’t the perfect opportunity to find out. Curious if you’d be able to make drill team? Take some dance classes. If you’re absolutely terrible, that’s OK. If you enjoy it anyway, keep taking the class! (If it’s at all sounding like a personal example right now, rest assured that it totally is.)
And to those in both categories – please take school seriously, but not too seriously. You want to be able to use high school as preparation for college. Do your homework, take notes in class, and once you start driving yourself there – be punctual! You also want to use high school to get into college. So, this may be repetitive, but keep good grades – make those colleges want you, girlfriend! You will be so grateful for this tidbit of advice come senior year and you're rolling around on a bed filled with acceptance letters.
However… in the midst of your soul-searching and trying of new things, one thing is so very, very important… Do not, I repeat, do NOT give in to peer pressure! All of the cool kids aren’t falling for peer pressure these days anyway…
On a more serious note, if something, and I mean anything, is making you uncomfortable – don’t do it. It’s pretty much just that simple. If anyone thinks poorly of you for not doing something, and I don’t care if it’s something as serious as drugs or something as miniscule as eating ice cream past 10 p.m. (which is, by the way, the scientifically proven time that ice cream starts to taste super delicious) you don’t have to do it just because the rest of your “friends” are. I’ll take “friends” out of quotes when they stop trying to make you do things you don’t want to!
Being self-assured, independent and vocal are among the hardest of traits to exhibit at this fragile age, which is why it will be so freakin’ impressive when you say “no,” and don’t even feel a tad bit ashamed about it.
Can’t believe I skipped over relationships. That’s how unimportant they are (no offense to my wonderful boo). But seriously. You’re too young to be serious right now! Focus on yourself. The drama high school relationships bring is unreal. In retrospect, that is was most of the “drama” in my group of friends revolved around. I’m sure it’s not the same for everyone, but my entire college experience has been entirely drama free and exactly 0% like high school (thank God).
Good luck, ladies.
P.S. Turning 21 sounds a lot cooler than it is, and it’s all downhill from there.
