Turning 21 is a big deal. You're sort-of kind-of an adult, even though you may not feel like it sometimes. As my 21 year comes to a close, I'd like to share the pieces of wisdom that helped me get through it.

1. Don’t ever let anyone make you feel like you’re not worthy.
2. Everyone deserves to be happy, so you should do whatever you need to do to achieve happiness in your life.
3. Do the things you’ve always dreamed of doing. Life is too short, so pierce your nose, or study abroad, or whatever it may be that you’ve always wanted to do.
4. Just because one boy doesn’t like you back doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. There will be other boys just like him who will appreciate you for the gem who you are.
5. It’s OK to not know what you want to do with the rest of your life. You’re still young, you have so much time to figure it all out.
6. College is the only time in your life that you’ll live with your friends and see them every day. Enjoy your time with them while you still can.
7. As you get older your hangovers get worse; prepare yourself for that harsh reality.
8. Stop judging your place in your life based on where your friends are. Everyone takes a different journey through life and yours is completely unique to you. Don’t let your friends’ lives make you feel inadequate!
9. Spend your money on experiences, not things. Things will deteriorate and go out of style, but the memories that you create you’ll remember forever.
10. Call your mom more often. She loves you and misses you dearly.
11. In a few short months, you’ll be a real person with a real job and real responsibilities. Enjoy your time in college; go to that party with your friends, join that club you’ve been thinking of joining for the last two years, tell that guy from your Stats class that you think he’s cute.
12. Enjoy your classes. As much as you think they’re stressful now, you’ll never have so much information at your fingertips again.
13. Nobody owes you anything. If you want something you should put in the effort and go get it.
14. Be sure to treat yourself, especially when it comes to your alcohol choices. Burnetts and Carlo Rossi may be cheap as dirt, but they also make you feel like dirt the next day.
15. Social media may be fun, but it’s not everything. Stop worrying about how many likes you get on your pictures, and think about the fun you had creating that picture instead.
16. Learn how to be happy by yourself. Having a significant other is nice, but if you can only be happy because someone else thinks you’re worthy of love then you’re not really happy.
17. Put time into making a really great resume; trust me it’ll pay off in the end.
18. Not everyone is going to be supportive of your dreams, and that’s okay. Live your life for you, not for what other people want for you.
19. You are beautiful, despite what you may think about yourself.
20. Worrying doesn’t get you anywhere. Sometimes it’s just best to step back and let the situation take care of itself.
21. Be yourself all the time. Don’t be who you think people want you to be, or who your friends are. Be yourself, and you’ll be much happier.