As a writer, I was once told that you will have experienced enough by the time you are twenty to write about for the rest of your life. You are young, but everything you have felt, everything you have seen, everything that has made you you is strong and full of life. So while it now sounds cliche, make sure to really live while you're young.

So it is with this thought in mind and my 20th birthday around the corner, that I'd like to share what I have learned from my 20 years of existing on our favorite blue planet.

1. Don't be so hard on yourself. You are young. Adolescence and your teenage years are a time for growth and self-improvement. There is plenty of time for you to do better, feel better, and be better than you feel you are. Don't rush it.
2. Not everyone is meant to stay. Everyone who comes in and out of our life came through for a reason, but those who left also did so for a reason. It's a good thing not everyone stayed, I promise.
3. Adult friends are different from childhood friends. Childhood friends got to know you while you were an awkward adolescent trying to find yourself. Adult friends know you for who you are now and who you want to be. True friends may know a different side of you but will love you regardless
4. When offered dessert, eat it. You deserve something sweet and extra calories are by no means the end of the world.
5. Take care of yourself. Dress as if you will meet the love of your life that day because, who knows, you just might. Even if you don't, you'll look great so put your best foot forward.
6. Remember your family. Related and honorary these people get credit for raising you and shaping you into the person you are today. Give those loved ones a call.
7. Your problems matter. Just because someone else out there seems to be facing something bigger does NOT mean that what you feel is insignificant.
8. Don't expect to have it all figured out. No one else does, trust me.
9. Following your passions is worth it. "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."- Confucius
10. Talk to someone. See a therapist, go to group counseling, confide in a trusted friend. No matter how much it feels like it, you are never alone. Someone else out there is fighting a battle so similar to yours. You might as well fight it together.
11. Take chances in love. Don't base new relationships off those of the past. If you always play it safe you will never have the potential to experience something wonderful and new. As corny as it sounds, if something didn't work out before it simply was not meant to be. Keep searching.
12. Try new things. That random class you pick up, adventure you go on, or food you eat might just end up being your new favorite. Passions don't create themselves, people.
13. Don't try to "fix" people. You cannot mold people into who you want them to be.
14. Be understanding. Everyone is on their own journey and facing their own demons. Treat them gently.
15. Exfoliate & Moisturize. Put sunscreen on. Repeat. Your skin will thank you.
16. Mix up your looks. If you wan to dye your hair, dye it. Want to pierce something? Pierce it. Hair grows back and skin heals. Express yourself and show your true colors. Don't let the social norm dictate how you want your insides to reflect your outsides
17. Be the bigger person. Those who come in and out of your life tend to cause hurt, but you WILL feel better taking the higher road and leaving the petty beneath you. Stooping to their level does nothing but give others the opportunity to criticize you for what you disliked about them.
18. HYDRATE. Hungover or not, your body needs the water.
19. Give and receive compliments well. A simple "You look nice." can make someone's day. Try it out. And while you're at it, when you receive a compliment accept it graciously because you are awesome (so don't try to deny it).
20. Put in what you want to get out. Work hard and you will receive. Radiate positive energy and the world will give it back.