For a long time, in high school, I let the hurtful words of other people define me. I allowed the harsh judgment and criticism to make me feel as if I didn't matter. As a person who was called practically every name in the book, I held back a part of myself. I wasn't interested in being friends with anyone. I wasn't interested in getting to know new people. I let certain situations take control. High school, essentially, distorted my view of life and I was once a person who thought that it was never going to get better. However, I made an effort to change my perspectives. I made an effort to make things better for myself. What I once thought and what you once thought in high school should not be what you are thinking today. Over the years, I have learned an immense amount of lessons that I carry with me daily. It will get better... and you have the power to make it so.

Do not let other people define you.
No matter what you do in your life you will be judged. Your strengths will be criticized and your weaknesses will be criticized. That is why you dictate yourself, for yourself. The only opinion of you that should matter is your own. This is your journey and you are in control of who you want to be, how you want to be, and what you want the most out of your life. A majority of the time the people who know nothing about you are the ones who have the most to say. With that, do you. Be yourself. Do good things. Grow as a person. Make mistakes. Learn from them. Know that you are not your mistakes. Know that you are not your past. Who you are now and who you aim to be is all that matters. You are only human. Do not let anyone disturb your tranquility.

You are responsible for your own happiness.
Never rely on someone else to provide you with happiness. Learning to love yourself means that you learn the validation of another is not needed. Leaving your happiness in the hands of someone else will only set you up for feeling empty if they walk away. Provide yourself with enough love and happiness you need and then share that with others.

You are responsible for your own actions.
What you do, what you say, and how you act can either make a positive or a negative impact. The only person responsible for your actions is you.

Friendships and relationships come and go.
Friendships end. Relationships end. That is a part of life that we cannot escape. It may feel heart breaking, gut wrenching, and even devastating but with the end comes a new beginning. There are billions of people in this world; a handful who are going to be your friends and someone who is bound to be your life-long partner. There are always new people right around the corner! Do not dwell on the people who do not see the potential in your friendship or love. Find and make time for the people who do.

People who talk falsely about you to try and bring you down are not happy with themselves.
If someone is willing to waste their time spewing false information about you to try and bring you down then they are not happy with themselves. You may not know the reasoning behind their actions but you've just got to keep trusting that how they are will be brought to the light and that the truth will come out eventually.

People change: for the better and for the worse.
At times people change for the better and your relationship becomes stronger with that person. Other times, people change into someone who you never thought they would be. You cannot control this but what you can control is who you keep in your life. Make sure the people you surround yourself with are a direct reflection of who you want to be.

Become comfortable in your own company.
Taking time for yourself is important. You need time to think, breathe, and recharge. You need time to figure out who you are and what you want to do. Just because you find yourself alone doesn't mean that you need to feel lonely. Learn to love your own company. In the end, the only person you may have is yourself.

The problems you are worried about at this moment will not matter in the years to come.
Do you ever find yourself complaining about minuscule situations? Take a step back when you find yourself doing this and think about it in a larger perspective. Will this matter in five, ten, or even twenty years from now? If you can say “no” then don't waste your energy being upset over it. Use that energy to think about good things.

Having a positive mindset changes your life entirely.
I truly do believe that the law of attraction is 100% real. For a long time, I would look at the bad or minuscule things happening in my life as the worst possible situation in the world. With a still changing and growing mindset I've come to the point where if something bad happens to me or a setback is put in front of me I naturally just let it roll off of my shoulders. Instead of getting overly angry or upset I think about how it could be benefiting me rather than hurting me. Practicing that for many months has me at a point now where, even though I do acknowledge the bad, I try to look at it in a different perspective. I've noticed a major change in my life. Good things continuously have been coming to me because I try as much as I can to think about the better side of all situations. I've noticed that when I have thought about or still at times think about certain things that I don't want happening or I don't want to be involved with end up making their way to me, somehow. You attract what you think and it is definitely possible to manifest what you want with a good mindset.

The people who belong in your life should support your goals, should want to help you grow and grow with you, and should want you to succeed.
Surround yourself with people who will lift you up, not try to tear you down.

Be confident in all that you do.
Wake up each morning with the mindset that you are going to absolutely conquer the day. Set goals. Accomplish them. Get tasks finished. Say kind words to yourself. Make yourself feel good inside and out. Make an effort to have a great day every day and even if you don't always know that you can begin again tomorrow.

Stand up for yourself and others.
Stand up for yourself. Stand up for others. Don't be a doormat for other people to walk all over and don't be a bystander to someone who is being treated as one.

If you don't want to do something you have the right to say no, and you should.
Don't be afraid to say no. Say no and mean it. You have the right to feel comfortable and if you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation then express that. Don't feel guilty, don't feel ashamed, and don't let people make you feel that if you don't do something that they want you to do you'll be looked at differently for it.

You are stronger than you think.
You have the ability to move mountains. You have the ability to set goals and accomplish them, the ability to be the best version of yourself, and are strong enough to get through any rough time you may be dealing with.

I've heard people say that high school is supposed to be the best four years of your life. In my opinion, I disagree. For other's, this could be different. But, although high school was not the best four years of my life, without it, I wouldn't have grown. I wouldn't be who I am right now. For that, I am forever thankful.