There are so many mistakes that I’ve made in the past, the kind of mistakes that plague my mind at 2 o’clock in the morning when I’m trying to fall asleep. Missing out on certain opportunities, making decisions that would ultimately backfire on me, not experiencing things I wish I did. It all boils down to one thing: my regrets consist of things I didn’t do rather than things I did.

Why do we make these mistakes? Because when we’re young, we’re scared. And it seems like we’ll have plenty of time to deal with things later on. There doesn’t seem to be a rush on figuring things out, and we keep making the same mistakes over and over again. You shouldn’t rush your youth, and mistakes are okay. We all make ‘em. But I’ve always believed that the greatest privilege we, as humans, have is the ability to learn from our mistakes.

The first step to change is accepting what's been done. I couldn’t begin to tell you the amount of things I wish I could take back, or the amount of things I wish I would’ve done that I didn’t. So many regrets haunt me on a day-to-day basis, as I’m sure many of you can relate to. But the best thing you can do for yourself is forgive yourself. Don’t dwell on these mistakes forever. There’s only one thing you can do . . .

Do better! Whenever you make your next mistake, and trust me, you won’t ever stop making them, think about why you made that mistake. What could you do better next time to avoid feeling the less-than-agreeable way you feel after making that mistake? Teach yourself things that work for you. We all make different mistakes for different reasons, and we all turn ourselves around in different ways. Accept what you’ve done. It can be the hardest thing in the world to do sometimes, but there’s nothing you can do about it now, unless you've cracked the code on time travel (in which case, please be in touch). So you might as well take a step back, breathe, and focus on being better and doing better.

Say yes! However old you are or whatever place you’re at in life, it’s never too early or late to start experiencing it to the fullest. Say "yes" more than "no" (unless the question is drugs, then the answer is always "no"). Go on adventures. And yes, going to Walmart at midnight in your pajamas counts as an adventure. Get out of your Netflix-plagued bed and have a little fun. But still make time for Netflix because let’s be honest, it would just be rude to deprive yourself like that. Let yourself go, and be you. So many times I haven’t opened up to people or I haven’t been my complete self, and it’s come back to bite me. Make a conscious effort to do these things. The time to start is now. Take it from me, and of course . . .