Hello,

It's me, well it's actually you, five years in the future. Lately, I've been thinking about our future and the goals we want to accomplish. This train of thought lead me down a path through the past years and I began to wonder about how different my life is and how much I've changed since I was just an ambitious 16-year-old. So listen up little lady because I'm about to throw you some serious truth. At 16, you're a junior in high school, but now at 21 you're a junior in college...I know right, contrary to popular believe, we grew up. Sometimes I really miss the girl in the photo above, you look so content and sure. Over the next five years you will change, a lot.

You will cut your hair, you fill out a little more, you will finally get your braces off and you will learn how to do your make-up, correctly. You will definitely find your "look" and it will work for you, you're confidence will build and you will start feeling like an actually person instead of a jumble of hormones and confusion. Not only your physical appearance will change, you will start to feel less like fitting in and more like standing out. In years to come you will get very involved in school, you will make more friends, and life will start to feel a bit more grounded.

You might not believe me but when you're my age and you look back you will really miss high school and realize that it was some of the best years of your life. While high school was great, the years after are so much better. So here is some advice for the years to come. You are going to have a lot of changes happen, some good and some bad. You will lose friends, but the few that matter will stay and you guys will remain close, despite the distance. Oh yeah, by the way when you turn 18 you will graduate high school and attend community college for a couple years, it's awful, but you will thank your parents for it later. When you're two years at community college are over, you'll make a drastic change in your career choice.

At 20 years old you'll move to New York City to pursue those dreams. The future is sounding pretty good right? Stay with me though, we still got a lot to talk about. You need to spend more time with your family. They might not "understand" you at 16 but they are your biggest support system and they love you more than anything in the world. You won't realize how much you need and miss them until you live hours away. You will have great adventures in your lifetime. By the time you're 21 you will have traveled to seven different countries. You will jump off cliffs in Mexico, dance on beaches in Spain, eat pizza in Italy, go shopping in London, and so much more. Make sure you take lots of photos, while "living in the moment" sounds fun and inspirational, photos are necessary. Never take what you have for granted. You are very lucky to have this incredible life and you should thank your parents every single day. You should also take better care of yourself. Start drinking more water, working out, and please use more sunscreen! You will try to look cool and fit by being tan but the painful sunburn you'll get is not worth it. You're not "ghostly white", you're porcelain, and you rock it.

You'll also get strangely addicted to yoga, yeah I know, so stretch more . Make sure you take time to help other's. At 16 you are most likely still volunteering but life will get really hectic and pretty soon you're social life will consume the kind nature of your heart, parties will be more appealing than charity. Don't worry about money, you're 16 and you have no idea. There is plenty of time to worry in the future. You do need to have fun, though, at 21 years old you should be out dancing and living it up, but college gets very overwhelming and Friday night study sessions happen very often. Also, right before you turn 17 you'll meet someone and you'll fall in love for the first time, and it's awesome. You'll make some really good memories, you'll laugh, you'll be happy, and your life will be changed forever.

After a few years together it will end, sometimes things change and so do people, but you won't regret a single day you spent with him. You'll go through some heartbreak and I'm not going to lie, it will hurt like hell. In the end, you'll realize it made you a stronger and better person. You'll realize what you truly want in life, and you'll leave to go find it. The next few years you will make a lot of mistakes but it's okay, they will make you smarter and more aware of the impact you have on the world. You'll hope that you are a good person, and you are. You're hardworking, driven, caring, and you still have that witty sense of humor. You'll have more honest opinions, you will speak your mind, and it will get you in trouble.

You will have your own sense of self and you'll be happy with it. You will have a lot of doubt about your life, but who doesn't. You will be an optimist and you'll stand up for who and what you believe in. You'll become a feminist and you'll break down barriers. You still love to write and shop, concerts and museums are still favorites too. You'll grow up just fine so don't worry. Family is still really important and you talk to them every day. You should still say "I love you" more, though. You'll have a bigger appreciation for your small hometown and you'll miss it. I know this is a lot of information but you'll going to have a very exciting life and I wanted to prepare you for the years to come. Right now, right at this moment, you're happy. You live in an incredible city, you have amazing friends and the future is looking pretty positive. Hopefully, this letter reassures you that you are headed in the right direction and that life is going to be pretty good to you. So stay in school, say thank you more, kiss some boys, and make some more noise, I'll see you in five years.

Love,

You