Each week when my deadline starts looming over my shoulder for my article, I spend way too much time trying to figure out what I want to talk to you guys about. What new wisdom have I learned since last Sunday? What advice do I have to give? I try so hard come up with something serious and life altering. And you know what? It gets tiring. I’m a 21-year-old popcorn popper at a movie theatre, I mean, how wise can I actually

I mean, I’ve learned a lot in my time, sure. I had the awkward middle school stages that, looking back, taught me that being loud and obnoxious isn’t cute or funny. I had the awkward high school stages that taught me that I should be kind and open minded. Now I’m in my awkward college stages and I’m learning that literally no one cares what you do. (Oh, that’s a good idea. I might run with that one.) You can be zipping across campus on a Razor scooter wearing a Snuggie and swimming goggles and people are just gonna be like, “Yeah, alright. Do you, my dude.” You just can’t care so much about what other people think of you. (Alright, I was wrong. I’m really hecking wise. Listen up, buttercup.)

Remember when we were all in kindergarten and you could find a best friend in about 37 seconds because you weren’t afraid of showing who you were? I’m so thankful to be part of a generation where we are trying to carry this into adulthood and celebrate our differences. Realizing that when you really grow up and go to new places and experience new things, other people aren’t focusing on you anymore. Your peers are learning and growing in new ways that are so different than when you were still in grade school. The older we got in middle school and high school, the more reserved we got. We were just trying to fit in because suddenly, we cared so much about our image. We had to have the newest, best brands of everything. Now, you could be wearing a sweet thrifted dress and as long as you’re feeling, nothing else matters.

You can’t take life too seriously. You have to let yourself enjoy everything. If you’re spending time worrying about how people are going to perceive you, you are wasting your time. This is your one life. Make the most of it. Wear the damn dress, buy the damn shoes, eat the damn fries. Make choices that are good for you and make you happy. It doesn’t matter what everyone else thinks. If you’re doing things right, the people you surround yourself with are going to extend these feelings of self-love and only make you feel even better. When you open yourself up to the good in this life, it only gets better.

Ironically, this is only advice from a 21-year-old popcorn popper, so take it as seriously as you see fit.