1/1/2016

1. The best thing you can do for yourself is to leave. For 1 month, 2 months, 2 years – even if it means you end up realizing you were exactly where you belonged in the first place. Get up, and go.
2. Recognize that being independent is different than being single. Your independence should still exist even in a relationship. This seems obvious right now.
3. Be friends with people who are busy. It encourages you to stop being lazy, and forces you to not rely on the presence of other people.
4. Learn how to enjoy being alone – sleeping alone, going to coffee shops alone, going on walks alone. It’s a good way to avoid the burden of loneliness.
5. Take time to figure yourself out. Why you are the way you are – and who that even is.
6. Don’t continue to put your emotional energy into maintaining mediocre relationships that you know won’t last. You don’t owe anybody anything. You’re allowed to walk away. Note: this is different than simply being kind to somebody – you should always have the energy to try and be kind.
7. Pay attention to how people talk about the people they love.
8. Your best friend’s are not the one’s you see everyday, but the one’s you can be away from and return, and nothings changed. Sometimes you’re just lucky enough to see them a little more often.
9. Get a female gynecologist.
10. If somebody tells you about their family, never take it for granted. Families are personal and complicated and contain a lot of information not everybody deserves to know.
11. Realize that everybody sees things differently. It’s not always mandatory to have the same outlook as your friend or partner, but don’t kid yourself into thinking everyone thinks the same way you do.
12. Find a good place to buy your fruit and vegetables – not your regular grocery store.
13. Make plans. Also don’t make plans. Spontaneity is awesome but it gets old if you can never say ‘yes’ to somebody.
14. They either want you, or they don’t. They’ll either talk to you, or they won’t. The same goes for you, so don’t over-complicate it. Send the damn text, or don’t.  They. Don’t. Care. Neither. Should. You.
15. Get to know other cultures as much as you can. Ask questions. Read. Remember majority of your learning is done outside of school.
16. Cliche or not, music festivals are a must do. Also, there are a lot of things that are cliche, and yet still totally okay for you to do. Don’t let the popularity of things hinder your approval of it.
17. If you don’t have people in your life that seek to push you out of your comfort zone, get some. We’re all unfinished business. If you really care about impacting somebody’s life, start doing it.
18. It’s totally cool to have no idea what you want to do with your life. It just feels totally uncool.
19. Send letters.
20. When you once again find yourself rushing through shaving your legs, remember, smooth legs aren’t that smooth when they’re covered in bandaids.