1) You create your own happiness, there is no recipe for it. No amount of money, or friends, or boyfriends, or superficial things will fix you.

2) You have to be happy on your own before you can be happy with another person. Whether this person is just a friend that you invest a lot of time in or a significant other, they don’t deserve all of you until you figure out what all of you has to offer.

3) Do not read beauty magazines or compare yourself to celebrities and super models because half of them are airbrushed and the other half don’t get to come within ten feet of mint chocolate chip ice cream which is not a life that anyone wants to live. Be confident and start being your own kind of beautiful.

4) You have to play your part. Always give people effort, but don’t be anybody’s doormat. Give people your all, but don’t break your back for people who won’t even bend a little for you.

5) Surround yourself with positive people who love you and only bring you up. Sometimes it’s hard to let people go, but often times the people you hold onto with all your strength are the ones holding you down.

6) If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say it at all. Something we all learned in kindergarten, yet I myself still even forget. You are how you treat those around you.

7) You don’t have to have everything figured out yet. There’s grown adults that still don’t know what they want to do for a career. All that really matters is that you enjoy the ride, try not to stress and have a little fun.

8) Just because everyone else does something, doesn’t mean you have to. The most valuable thing a person owns is their dignity. It can be yours to keep forever.

9) Don’t hold grudges. Even though there are times you must let people go, make sure they leave you on good terms. You never know what tomorrow or even the next hour of your life may bring.

10) Death is a terrible thing, but shows you how valuable life is and how much you should love one another. You can’t spend your whole life unhappy and worrying and wanting something new or something you don’t have. If you have a beating heart and friends and family that love and support you then I would say you’re well off.

11) Being smart is cool.

12) Do not let the things people say get to you. For every ten people that bring you down there will be one person to hold you up. Appreciate those that keep you on your feet and ignore those who try to knock you down.

13) As you get older so do your parents, and grandparents and siblings. Love them and spend time with them while they are here. Friends come and go, but family is forever.

14) Sometimes you might just need to take a long walk to uptown.

15) Do not invest all of your time into a single individual. It’s fine to have stronger connections with certain people, but sometimes people leave. You need to have multiple interactions with different types of people. It’s healthy and it helps you grow.

16) Stereotypes are 99% of the time absolutely never true.

17) Don’t force yourself to love someone just because all your friends are in relationships. When the time is right Mr. or Mrs. Right will come.

18) Your mindset is absolutely everything. Some days can be harder than others, but you have to laugh at how messy life is and all the things God throws at you. Humor will get you through the day.

19) Your mistakes don’t define you, how you present yourself afterwards does.

20) Some days are harder than others, but you have to put things in perspective. Somebody always has it harder than you. You can’t fret over who likes you and dating and all of those mediocre things. Be thankful for what you have and pray for those that don’t have it.

21) Be good to people. People may forget a lot of things about you, but they most certainly will never forget how you made them feel valued or appreciated.