I’m 18. That alone basically means that I was destined to have messed up here or there in the first 18 years of my life. And if you really sat down and thought about it I’m more than positive that you would be able to find that every decision I’ve made has had its consequences that could be considered a “mistake”.

Mistakes are inevitable and quite honestly if you haven't made them, or you just believe you haven’t made them, you aren’t really living or embracing life. But if there’s anything I've learned from the umpteen hundred thousand mistakes I've made in my life it’s that I don’t regret a single one that I've made.

Sure, some of the mistakes are awful to think about. No, I probably shouldn’t have gone to that one boys house at the ungodly hour at night. Yes, I probably should have studied more for that one test. Yes, I should have told someone when I was hurt instead of pushing my injuries. These are a very, very few examples that stick out when I think of all mistakes I've made. All of which I would make again in a heartbeat if I was given the chance.

Mistakes are what make memories, help you learn lessons, or as cheesy as it sounds, our mistakes make us the people we are today. I can not guarantee that I would be in the same place I am today if I hadn’t made one of those mistakes. Actually I can almost guarantee that I would be a completely different person without any single one of the mistakes I've made in my 18 years of living thus far.

And the best part about it all is that I'm not done making mistakes. Yes while I was in high school I thought my mistakes were the biggest things in the world. When I broke up with my boyfriend and the entire school was talking about it I thought that it was the end of the world. But honestly those few days where I couldn't walk down the hallway without getting stares were some of the most defining days of my life so far. It made me a stronger person because I learned that I no longer cared what other people thought of me. I cared more about how I was feeling and what I wanted for myself instead of what I was supposed to do by societies standards.

So make the mistake, go to that boys house, ok no actually don’t do that. But don’t blow off your friends so you can study all night. The test doesn't matter. Play every game and do everything with all that you have, give it your all even when you think you have nothing else left in your tank.

Mistakes are going to happen. You’re gonna be driving home and think to yourself “well shit, I shouldn't have done that.” But one day you’ll realize that every mistake you make was worth it. So don’t regret your mistakes. Don’t live a cautions life because you're afraid of the mistakes you could make.

Live your life, make all the mistakes you can. Mistakes make for a much better story than studying ever will.