I like to think, now that I'm twenty and fully on my way to adulthood, that I have quite a bit of life experience. Realistically, I know this is hardly true, but there are some things that I would like to pass on to my former self. Life advice, what to do in social situations, the works. And if this younger version of myself were to read a letter of advice from current me, I think it would go something like this:

Hey kiddo,

First off, I want to say, embrace those chubby cheeks and that baby face because it has yet to get better. There are bigger things ahead of you though, so don't worry yourself about it too much. I know that you think right now is basically the end of the world, but there are some things you need to know and take into consideration.

Be nice to your mom.

She may not fully understand texting and teen drama, but she does know a lot and she's pretty freaking amazing. Next time you feel like storming into your room because she won't buy you a cell phone or let you do that thing that might not be 100% safe, just know that she loves you and only wants the best for you.

Be nice to yourself.

This goes along with some later advice I have, but it's a little bit different. One day you're going to learn to love yourself. I obviously can't go back and change anything now, but if I could, I wish that you would see how great you really are. You're smart, and funny, and beautiful, and you're going to do some pretty cool stuff in the next couple of years. Just because you don't have a boyfriend does not mean that you're less than anyone else. Find things that make you happy and make you feel good about yourself and pursue them.

You're going to make friends, but make sure you make the right ones.

I know that you're probably worried about whatever the next stage of life is going to throw at you and how you'll ever possibly make a friend in the situation. As it turns out, I know for a fact that you're going to have some pretty amazing friends in the future. That being said, you're also going to make friends with some of the wrong people too. Not everyone wants what's best for you, so you have to want that for yourself. This leads me to my next point.

Fight for what's good for you because no one else is going to.

This excludes mom, of course, but sometimes you need to put yourself first. I know that you don't like when people are mad or upset, but you can't help anyone if you're a mess. Don't let that boy walk all over you just because you want him to like you. Listen to your family and take what they have into consideration, but still make choices that you know are right in your heart.

…And speaking of your heart, it's going to get broken a couple of times, but I promise you'll survive.

There's going to be a lot of good in the next few years and there's going to be some bad with it. Focus on the good things in your life. Those experiences are what is unique to you. Even in the bad times, you're going to have some laughs. Laugh as loud as you want and be as goofy as you want because, in the end, those memories are the ones that are going to make the pain you experience endurable.

These are the words of wisdom I have, younger self. I wish you could read them and see how much current self loves you. It's pretty incredible to look back on the changes we've made and see how far we've come. I know you're going to try time and time again to change yourself and just fit in, but maybe we weren't made to fit in completely. Maybe we were made to be just who we ended up being.

With so much love,

Current self.