- You aren't going to be good at everything immediately, but that doesn't mean that you aren't intelligent. It just means that you take to some things better than others. Work a little bit harder at the things you struggle with and get on with your day.
- Some people just really, really don't deserve you, and you don't have to be sorry for walking away from anyone who doesn't respect your significance as a human being.
- Be nice to the people who make your coffee (or tea, or chai lattes, or whatever you order) because at best, they'll become a very good friend, and at worst, they won't burn your milk on purpose.
- Sometimes pursuing a degree in what you love isn't the best idea. Don't ruin all of your creative outlets by trying to formally educate yourself on them. You'll learn either way. It just might take a little longer.
- Your favorite musician will change. It might have something to do with the fact that you aren't who you were eight years ago, and it might just be that your tastes have changed. Let it happen. The music will be better anyway.
- Healthy relationships can be "boring." Just because you don't live a drama-filled life doesn't mean that it's not good enough.
- Bad things happen to good people, but the world isn't out to get you. Life happens, and sometimes it's going to feel like you've just had one terrible experience after another, but don't forget about the little things that were good in between.
- If you can talk to someone for so long that you lose your voice and never run out of things to say, they are one of the most important people in your life and you should remind them of that as often as possible.
- People are walking contradictions. As much as human beings like to put each other in convenient little boxes, try to resist the urge. Just because someone dresses a certain way doesn't mean that who they are or what they like will fit the stereotypes.
- Some days you're going to feel like a functional adult and other days you're going to feel like you never stopped being a fifteen-year-old. Just accept it. After all, "no one is ever ready for adulthood."
- There comes a point when you just have to let things go and forgive people even if they'll never know about it, because being bitter is exhausting and you've moved beyond what they did to you, even if it doesn't always feel that way.
- You'll meet fantastic people in the most mundane places and they aren't always going to be what you expect. Accept the fact that your group of friends is going to span a decade in age and be linked by nothing more than you in most cases. The fact that you don't hang out with all of them at once doesn't mean that they aren't going to make your life a thousand times better.
- You're always going to seek people's approval. You'll just reach the point where the people whose approval you seek are actually decent human beings who truly want what's best for you.
- Trust your gut feelings when it comes to the people around you, because more often than not, they'll be right and you'll save yourself a lot of heartache and disappointment if you just listen to them.
- It really will be better in the morning. Admittedly, it might take a week for that morning to arrive, but one day you'll wake up and you won't feel so terrible anymore.
- Tell the people you love that you love them, even if you don't do it verbally. You aren't the only one who needs a reminder sometimes.
- Who you are is not something that you need to apologize for, and if someone doesn't accept that, you don't need them in your life.
- You'll outgrow people, but that doesn't mean that their time in your life is any less significant. It just means that your paths went different ways.
- You aren't always going to do the right thing. All you can do when you screw up is try your best to fix it, apologize, and move forward. Everyone makes mistakes at some point. They don't define who you are as a human being. Your response to them does.
- When things feel terrible, remember who loves you. Remember that there are so many people in the world who have, do, or will think you're utterly fantastic (even if you piss them off sometimes). Remember that you aren't doing this alone, no matter how much it may feel that way. Drink some tea, take a deep breath, and go find one of them. They'll make you feel better even if it takes a little while for things to sink in.
Two decades down, hopefully many more to go.
I'm still not entirely convinced that I'm actually a functional human being, but we'll get there one of these days (I hope).
Until next time x
