Dear 18-year-old Brooke,

Look at you. Just graduating high school and getting ready for college. I know right now you’re cringing at the fact that you’re going to community college, but believe me when I say it’ll be one of the best experiences you’ll ever have. Enjoy it. Before you know it, you’ll be a senior in college and one step away from the real world. There’s so many things I wish I could tell you now. Here’s some advice that I wish I had if I could go back in time to tell you.

Be Confident and Fearless.

Seriously, just believe in yourself. You have so much going for you and so many opportunities to explore in this world, go for it. You’re going to have bosses, advisors, professors, family members, and complete strangers challenge you, push you, and knock you down, but it’s all about how you get back up. Don’t let anyone ever tell you that your dreams are crazy and you’re not going to succeed. Because you will succeed and be more than fine. Chase after your goals and dreams and never listen to someone who tells you that you cannot do it. Don’t be afraid for the future either. It seems scary and far off, but you’ll make it through all of the tough times and uncertainty that lies ahead. It’ll all work out, trust me.

Let People Leave.

People come and people go. I truly believe that the ones who are meant to be in your life will find a way to stay. Family members, friends, boys, acquaintances and even coworkers will find a way into your life and will leave tremendous marks, and if they leave, let them. You’ll miss them and it will hurt like hell, but time heals everything. Sounds cliché but it will all work out for the best in the end. Wait for the right people to come into your life and let them bring you joy.

Move.

If you want to go run ten miles in the morning, then do it. If you want to run twenty miles, then go for it. If you feel like going to the gym and (trying) to lift, do it. If you want to wake up, drink a cup of coffee, and dance around the house to Pandora, then absolutely go do it. I’m just going to tell you that exercise and dancing will always make you happy, give you a fresh start to your day, and will make you feel free and invigorated. Never stop moving, it lifts your soul and makes you happy. But, if you want to sleep in once in awhile, that's ok too.

Love Yourself.

To go along with the idea of being confident in your own skin, you have to love yourself too. Sounds cheesy and a lot of people say it, but it’s true. It’s hard to go through life being so picky about your body, outfits, and hair, you end up hating yourself and missing out on the true meaning of life. If you want to eat a piece of pizza, then eat it. If you want an ice cream cone with extra rainbow sprinkles, do it because you are worth it. You don't always need to eat healthy in order to be happy, learn to enjoy food and life. Love yourself enough to realize that appearance is only a small part of who you actually are because it can certainly control your life for the worst.

Let Go.

Let go of all of the things you cannot control. Let go of the idea that your life has to be perfect. I know you’re going to want to have every aspect of your life perfect and in place, but trust me when I say that it’s impossible. You’re going to want that 4.0 (and you’re going to get it) but it is perfectly alright if you get an 89 on a test in anatomy. It’s not the end of the world, you will still get an A in the class because you’ll end up doing boatloads of extra credit to make up for it. There’s going to be times that you won’t have it all together, where you are late to class, forget to do a homework assignment, wear mismatching socks, have to pay for gas in pocket change, and have a bad hair day. All you can do is laugh at yourself and have a nice glass of wine over it. Everything will work out for you no matter how many times you may think you have failed.

Be Thankful and Kind.

Lastly, be thankful for everything you have. From your family, your job, your grades, your professors, your car, softball, running, and everything else in between that you have been blessed with. Just be thankful every day and spread kindness to everyone you meet, you never know who's day you might make better just with a simple smile.

Love,

Future Brooke