If there is one sentence that has the potential to unify all inhabitants of the earth, it would be this: Man, I wish I would have known that five years ago.
As we all get older and reminisce on the early high school days (or even freshman year of college), we continuously kick ourselves for silly things that we have said and done. We wish for a time machine to take us back just a few years so we can right our adolescent wrongs and wipe the tears off of our high school faces. There are some life lessons that seem to stick out more than others, so for all of us entering adulthood and for those of us with growing up to do down the road, remember this.
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You are not who were five years ago.
You won't always be the high school cheerleader or the teacher's pet. Don't let the labels that grade school gave you stick with you forever. Your life will change, as will your taste in activities, music and career interests. My college friends don't believe me when I say that I used to be a cheerleader, and there's nothing wrong with that, it's just not who I am anymore.
One failed test will not determine your life.
We all know grades are important, but don't beat yourself up for one bad grade. The world is so much more than letters on a grade card and numbers on your transcript. A straight A student in high school can turn in to a C student in college and still make it out alive with a killer job. (By the way, the saying C's get degrees is totally true.)
Forget about the boys (and girls) who made you cry.
Your first high school boyfriend just broke up with you, and you're pretty sure the world is ending. Next thing you know, seven years have passed, and you're on top of the world. Toxic people deserve no place in your life whether it's a friendship or a relationship. It's hard to see more than two days ahead when you're in your mid-teens, but trust me when I say the kids who made you cry in high school will not be in your life in a few years. Best to store the good memories, ditch the bad and keep everything platonic.
Stop being embarrassed by small lapses in your judgement.
This is especially important for college newbies. Those Snapchats that you send out to the cute guy from class at 3 a.m. are a little embarrassing, but it's not embarrassing enough to skip class or avoid eye contact for the rest of the semester. You're not the first person that had a little too much fun on the weekend, and you certainly won't be the last one. Chalk it up as a lesson learned, and keep your phone out of reach next time.
Stop trying to please everyone.
It's great that you want to make everyone else happy,but don't do it at the cost of your own happiness. There will come a time when everything falls into place, and you can see very clearly what you want to do with your life, and that will not always be what your parents, mentors or other elders had picked out for you. The best you can do is explain yourself, and eventually those who are doubting you will jump on board.
One last note for my past self:
You control your happiness.
This is the all important lesson that I wish I would have learned years ago. Happiness doesn't come from material items, boyfriends or an Instagram-worthy picture. Happiness comes from yourself — surrounding yourself with genuine people, chasing your dreams and doing what you love. So go on, past self. Do great things!
