Before you decide it's time to move onto bigger things, indulge in what makes you happiest. Treat yourself to an afternoon of mud between your toes and chocolate chip pancakes for dinner - maybe even a trip down memory lane by scalding your legs on that awful metal slide. Don't forget to dance in the rain, but you may want a pair of galoshes so you don't drown in the puddles.

Don't listen to the "adults." They'll tell you not to cry; let me tell you, that's the worst they could do. You can stop crying as soon as you're ready, and maybe you'll never be, but that's OK too. There are many things we're never ready for, like conquering our fear of spiders, or even the price of toilet paper. Be sure to prepare yourself for the worst – life isn’t sugar and butterflies, but apprehensions can melt away just as quickly as sugar crystals.

When you do decide you're ready to face your battles, you should know what terrifies you the most. You'll spend nights, days, weeks, lying in your bed awake at the peak of dawn wondering about this. Find the fear that makes you cry at the very thought, one that makes you cower beneath your sheets. It won't feel good, you won’t be happy, but don't run away from it. You're better than that. You're stronger than that. Take it like the butt of a nearly-finished cigarette and snuff it out until the ashes flow in the wind.

And after you've done all these things, look at yourself in a mirror and ask one thing: "Do you love you?"

And if you don't, repeat from step one.