Let's face it — the last couple summers of your teenage years are weird. You're by name still a teenager, but you more than likely have a job or an internship (or both) and might even be living on your own or with a roommate and supporting yourself at some level — which is something your typical 13-year-old isn't doing. You may be a kid at heart, but you (hopefully) think for yourself. Summers for me have always been a time when things slow down and I take a step back to look at myself and my life to decide if I'm happy with what I'm doing and how I act. These are a few of the things I've realized this summer that I think everyone can benefit from knowing.

Stand up for yourself.

This is something I've been doing for a long time, but my will to do it was really put to the test when I found myself having to stand up to a close friend who was taking advantage of me. What they say about standing up to your friends is true: It's hard. It's really, really hard, but you have to bring yourself to stop making excuses for their behavior and stick up for what you deserve — feeling comfortable and welcome in your own skin.

You belong somewhere.

You might not know exactly where, but at any given moment it's likely exactly where you are. I find it hard in times of transition to remember that I belong somewhere, but I've realized that I belong exactly where I am, wherever that may be. God has put me where I am at this very moment for a purpose, even if I don't know what it is. No one can take that away.

Be patient.

It's easy to make assumptions based on my individual bias, so I have to constantly remind myself that not everyone grew up the way I did. In fact, no one grew up exactly the way I did. Remembering this helps me to stop and give people the benefit of the doubt as often as I can, and not to be condescending if I have to explain something that seems simple to me.

Be self-aware.

Besides love, I believe self-awareness is the most important characteristic a person can have. Before making decisions, I consider how other people might react to what I'm planning to say or do. I try to consider all potential reactions but focus especially on the negative ones to decide if I'm willing to defend whatever I'm about to do. Through doing this, I've realized that other people are more receptive to those who are people-focused, and, strange as it may sound, the best way to be that way is to examine yourself and move outward from there.

Be considerate always — not just when it suits you.

Tying in with self-awareness is what stems from it — kindness. Once I started becoming more aware of the attitude I project, it became easier to be more considerate of other people's thoughts and feelings and to strive to be so constantly. Trying to see every problem through someone else's eyes is helping me make fewer assumptions and opening me up to being more forgiving in situations where I don't know the whole story.

You control how other people treat you.

I might not control someone's initial behavior, but if I allow it to persist without speaking up, I've become an enabler. This is a harsh reality to face, but unless I do something about it, I really can't complain. I've failed to follow my own advice this summer, and let me just tell you — it sucks.

You can't make people change, but you can change your reactions.

I will never be able to change someone at their core, but I absolutely have the power to change my behavior toward them to reduce tension, and sometimes that means seeing them less often or even cutting them out of my life completely. As a self-proclaimed control freak, this has been the hardest reality to face this summer. It's hard when you feel you're making an effort that isn't being matched, but it's so freeing when you decide to just let it go and move on.