Granted I’m still young, but there’s plenty of life lessons I wish I knew when I was 18. Not to say I would be extremely different if I had the extra knowledge in my back pocket, but sometimes I wouldn’t have let myself be so naïve.

10. Love Your Body

You only get one! So take care of it. Not that you have to go on crazy diets or workout until you pass out, but be gentle with it. Get plenty of sleep, stretch, and don’t give up on it because it doesn’t look the way you want it to.

9. Friends Come and Go

We all grow up and sometimes go our own ways. Friends will stay and some will go. As you grow, you may not share anything in common anymore and that’s okay! Keep a circle of friends around you of smart, successful, kind that will cry, console, laugh, and celebrate life with you- even at your worst. Friends are the family YOU choose. A good night of silliness and shenanigans does wonders for your soul at any age.

8. Always Work Hard

Don’t take things for granted and always purse dreams for yourself that make you work hard. Work like you don’t need the money. Hard workers go farther than those that are content with staying at the same pace their whole life. Remember to push yourself. Set goals for yourself. Look at every hurdle with ferocity and ambition then leap. What do you have to lose?

7. Its Okay to be Afraid

Things are going to be scary and nerve-racking sometimes. Never let the fear of the unknown paralyze you though. Find your inner Dory- “Just keep swimming” or Thomas the Train- “I think I can.”

6. Listen to Yourself

In your heart and in your gut, you know the right thing to do. So listen to yourself and trust that you are making the right decision. You’re the only person in the world that knows yourself better than anyone.

5. Be Genuine

Always strive to be kind to others. Like my mom always taught me, pretty is as pretty does. For those that don’t understand it; it means that you could be the most gorgeous/attractive person, but if you don’t have a personality to match it then it tears away from your overall beauty.

4. Don’t Look Back

Our lives have so many backwards glances in them. Thinking back on how things were, how things might have been, and the what-ifs won’t help you advance in life. Don’t dwell on the past, instead concentrate on today, tomorrow, and the tomorrows that are yet to be.

3. Be Honest

Be honest with yourself and to others. For big matters or small. No one ever appreciates a liar/fibber. Lying won’t get you far in life, and it’s always more of a jumbled mess that isn’t easy to get out of.

2. Don’t Take Anything/Anyone for Granted

This is pretty self-explanatory. Time goes by too quickly not to enjoy your surroundings and the people in it.

1. Be True to Yourself

Never compromise your beliefs or ideals for anyone. You are who you are, no excuses.

This list could honestly keep going, but these are the ones that ring true to me. I have definitely tried my best to follow this advice in the last couple of years in though it doesn’t always go as planned. So remember to live well, laugh often, love much, and bloom where you are planted.