I know, I know I am not old enough to be giving life advice but I have lived a little. My 18 years of life experience has taught me a lot, from every mistake and misstep to every perfect memory.
I don’t just want to go through life to learn nothin’ so here's what I've come up with so far:
Never underestimate the power of apologizing.
Yes, I know it may not be your fault but would you rather lose an argument or a friend? I had to learn this the hard way.
Be yourself.
Love yourself. Appreciate what makes you different and don’t tear yourself down for it. One day you will find people who love you for every quirk. They will encourage you to live out your passions- which for me is writing- and they will jam out with you to show tunes and Disney regardless of whether they know the words.
Call your friends when you go to college.
I know this seems ridiculous to say because if they were your friend then wouldn’t you obviously call them? Well, sometimes college can be overwhelming and this task isn’t so easy. Soon a week becomes two or more and you’re wondering how all this time passed so quickly. A text is good but nowhere near what a phone call means.
Go home from time to time.
Visit with people from your hometown and people you thought you were just going to leave in high school. Sometimes you do just need to talk to someone that understands how high school was and talk about how insane you all were. A coffee or ice cream never killed anyone.
You are not promised tomorrow.
This common cliché was always something that was overlooked by me and until this concept hit me square in the face this past week. As Isaiah Wallace said in his senior yearbook quote, “And in the end it’s not the years in your life that count- it’s the life in your years.”
Don’t forget what your parents taught you.
You are growing up and they are going to let you choose who you want to be. Hear me when I say this: your parents really know what’s best. (Just don’t tell my parents I said that. I will never live it down.)
It's okay to admit when you are hurting.
You have so many people around you that are willing to be there for you and help in any way they that they can. I have always thought that saying I was hurting was saying, “I have failed” but that’s not it. Everyone gets rough patches and it doesn’t get better by yourself.
Scream songs in your car with your best friends.
It cures every heart ache, bad mood and stressful days or weeks. Trust me on this. I can’t tell you the amount of times I have screamed “Closer” in the car during this dreadful past weekend.
Travel more.
There will never be another time when doing this will be the easiest. It is also the best way to gain perspective and realize that even in multiple languages we can all love on each other. Belgium and Thailand, I love you and hope to visit against soon.
Be open to get your heart broken.
Yes, it sucks and it's going to leave you with nasty doubts in your head, but if it works out think how amazing it could be.
Keep a journal.
This may just be the writer in me but writing memories out helps sort through it and gives you something to look back on when things get bad. It also gives you a way to remember the beautiful times in life.
