Dear younger self,

You are so smart, beautiful, and deserve the world. I say this first because you didn’t believe any of these things as you grew up into the adult that I am now. You thought you had to be perfect and save everyone else from his or her problems, when really all you needed to do was be yourself and take care of yourself.

You will have choices to make in having a boyfriend or just staying to yourself. I know you will think you have to have one because everyone else does, but it’s not worth it. Boys are not worth it at this age, and really aren’t at my age now either. What your dad said is right, they only have one thing on their mind. They will say anything just to try and get you into bed with them, they will lie to you and say they love you, but in reality they don’t. You may even believe that they do, but just remember if he loved you, he wouldn’t be pressuring you to do something you just aren’t ready to do. You don’t have to be “cool” and if he decides to leave for another girl that will, LET HIM. He is not worth your precious time and he obviously is blind to the wonderful girl that was already in front of him.

You will learn the friends you grew up with, aren’t your forever friends. You may keep in contact with one or two, but they had different priorities than what you do. You are tall, athletic, smart and a pretty girl, and they will feel threatened by you. They will use anything against you to break you down and hurt you just because of their own insecurities. Don’t believe a thing they say, because they also are not worth it. Girls are vicious to each other, at all ages, but you will find some girls who are mature enough to actually love the person you are inside, and not just hurt you because they wish they had some of the things you have.

When you do find the friends you can trust, listen to them when they give you advice. Typically, if your friends all agree on something they are probably right. They will want to protect you from a bad relationship or a bad decision. From my experience, my current friends knew right away that my relationship was toxic and it was going to hurt me, and I thought they were crazy. 4 ½ years later I wish I had listened to them. Just because you like a guy, does not mean he is right for you or deserves you. I can also promise you, he is NOT the only guy in the world that will ever show interest in you. You will get older and the guys that may not have noticed you before, will start paying attention, and guys you never thought would like you, will buy you a drink. Don’t let one guy be your whole world. Go on many dates, hang out with different people, wait till you find someone who is worth your time, someone who respects you, and treats you the way you would want your daughter or best friend to be treated.

Last of all don’t ever give up on your dreams. Life is not easy. You are going to run into many different challenges. You are going to be told to give up, that you are not good enough, but do not listen to them for a single second. If you want that promotion at work, bust your ass until you get it. If you want to play a sport in college, don’t let any distractions get in your way. Believe in yourself and don’t let anyone ever tear you down because you are incredible. You will turn out okay no matter what happens or what mistakes you make along the way. You will become a remarkable woman despite whatever happens to you, you will conquer it all and shock the world. Stay strong and fight on.

Love,

Your future