We, as young adults, are set up to make mistakes. Adults are quick to interfere with this part of growing up, but it is all an essential part of getting older. I want to learn on my own without the criticism or prediction from others that it will all go wrong. I want to experience and feel and find out for myself that it was the wrong choice in the end. Because I know that these experiences are what help shape me into the person I am supposed to become. So please, let me make mistakes. Let me "adult" on my own.

Think about all the bad decisions you have ever made. Think about the following consequences of your actions and how you probably thought it was the end of the world at that particular time. Now fast forward to your present. It doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore, huh? You probably even learned a valuable life lesson from said mistake. See, I have this theory that all of the experiences in our past help shape us into the person we are today, and they continue molding us as we grow.

That's not to say that we are products of our past, because that does not have to be the truth. However, you can allow the experiences of your past shape you into a better person. You can not let these mistakes define who you are. I know from experience that I have done a lot of stupid things in the short life I have lived, but I simply wrote it off as another lesson learned.

A lot of the older generation likes to point out all the things we as millennials are doing wrong. I understand feeling the need to guide us in the right direction, but I feel that they sometimes forget that not only were they young once, but it is also a completely different era with a complete new set of rules and surroundings.

We as young adults need to feel this sense of freedom. It is our lives to live as we please, and we must embrace being young. So stop being so hard on yourself: it's okay if you don't have it all figured out right now. You will discover what you are supposed to be doing for the rest of your life, you will fail (probably more than once,) you will not be "forever alone," and if you find your form of self-expression through tattoos, then get tattoos. Live the life you want, and don't be sorry for it.

There is so much to learn in this life, and I believe making mistakes and having experiences are all a part of the journey. So why not make the most of it? Start taking risks, let your guard down, and learn to simply feel. Live in the moment. And most of all, live for you.