Everyone always tried to give me advice in my teenage years. Advice along the lines of boys, relationships, school, and drama. I never really did apply that to myself growing up. I worried about countless other things. Coming from personal experience, I learned all of these lessons that I felt would help myself out more at the age of 16:
- You are only young once. Stop thinking about the future and start living for the present. Looking back, I missed out on a lot in my high school years as I was continuously worried about my future. I worked full-time and took many college level classes in substitute for regular classes. I was so focused on obtaining a career and being financially secure that I missed out on the parties, the sporting events, dances, and hanging out with friends. Stop. You are only this young once. Stop worrying about things that you shouldn’t have to and just live.
- It is okay to be confused. I always thought that I needed to have my entire life organized. I needed to know where I would be and what I would be doing 5 years down the road. Don’t. Don’t worry about knowing exactly what is and will be going on. Life happens. I mentally laugh at my former self for the plans she had for me at the age of 21. You cannot predict the future, so why try? Live in the moment. You will find that you will be 100x happier not worrying about the things you cannot control.
- You will make so many more friends. In high school, I thought that my high school friends would be my ride-or-dies. My life-long friends. Turns out, I talk to 3 regularly and 2 others sporadically. If I would have known this back then, I would have told you that you were crazy. That all my friends and I would be inseparable for life. Man was I wrong. The truth is that you grow. You and your high school friends aren’t the same. You could be thousands of miles apart or obtain different interests. College changes you. You find people who have the same passions as you. You find those that you can connect with on a whole different level than high school ever did. I’m not saying I hate my old high school friends, but learn that it is okay to grow apart because you will connect with so many more life changing people.
- Family is important. High school was the time where you were too cool for family. Friends were the most important necessity in your life. Looking back, my decision to skip family dinners or reunions to go to a bonfire or to the mall would be some of my biggest regrets. Sure, it was fun at the time, but I missed out on great bonding time that would impact the relationships that I have years later on. I hated my brother but now he is my best friend. If I told myself that 6 years ago, I would probably laugh in your face and say something along the lines of “Over my dead body.” But it is true. As time goes on, relationships change. Family will be with you for as long as you are living. Don’t forget that the ones you are ignoring now are the ones that pick you up when you are feeling down.
Life flashes by your eyes. One day, it is your first freshman dance in high school, and the next day, you are a senior in college buried in books and preparing for graduate school. If I had the knowledge that I did now in high school, I feel like I would have lived a lot differently (but hey, who knows). So, to my 16-year-old self, stop worrying. Live on, stop worrying, and remember that everything is only temporary.
