In honor of me turning 17 tomorrow :)
17 Things I Learned Before 17:
1. You have to accept yourself for who you are, flaws and all.
You know the saying "you can be the ripest, juiciest peach in the world, but there will always be someone out there that hates peaches." You can’t control the fact that your personality, looks, interests, etc. won’t always be appreciated by others however you should never change to please anyone. If they can’t accept you for who you are, they aren’t worth your time.
2. Do NOT be afraid to tell people how you feel.
Most of my life, I could never tell people how I feel because I always thought it was a sign of weakness but boy was I wrong. Please don't be afraid to tell your family, or someone you really trust, how you feel because I promise they will help you through it.
3. School is important but it's not the most important thing.
I put everything before my mental health and that's where I dropped the ball. In retrospect, StuCo and all the other things was not nearly as important as sleep and especially my mental health. At least I can say I hit that 2007 Britney Spears psychological breakdown and I got right back up. It's time to let up and give yourself a well-deserved break from all negative stressors.
4. Sometimes, it's okay to fail.
Dear God, this one is really hard because this so isn't me (but should be), if something doesn't achieve your expectations, just reach for the highest you can reach and try to be satisfied. Life doesn’t call for perfection, and the journey of the reach is more important than however high you reach. Although I cannot do this yet, I'm learning to.
5. Know your worth.
Don't ever let someone's perspective of you change anything. You obviously brought something to the table if someone asked you to do something. Think about it this way, would you rather have 10% from an extraordinary person or 100% from an ordinary person?
6. Know exactly what you want and believe its achievable.
Dream big, the bigger the better. #guerrero2052
7. Don't take life so seriously.
I still haven't grasped this concept either but seriously, don't take life so seriously. All the clothes, the cars, the money, the achievements, you can't take that stuff with you when you die, so carpe diem.
8. Make them listen.
If you want something done, but other people have doubts about it, do it anyway. Prove them wrong. Show them exactly what you can do.
9. Rock bottom is a real thing.
You will have moments of unbearable pain. It takes time to learn how to heal yourself. And healing sometimes still leaves scars. Healing is sometimes incomplete. Think of your scars as battle-wounds – evidence of how much wiser you are now- maps of where not to return. Cherish these scars and honor them. There will come times when they are the only reminder of where you have been, and how much you still need to grow.
10. Cherish every single moment.
There's 86,400 seconds in a day. My inner introvert tells me I don't want to see most family members and you're going to cringe at the thought of family gatherings and you'll do whatever you can to avoid having to socialize. Please stop. Don't be so scared, they're your family, they're forced to love you.
11. You won't always get what you want.
This year, I lost Southern Rep, I didn't get Mid Level JC, and I didn't get into Nationals. It's cool because everything happens for a reason and if it wasn't meant to be, then it wasn't meant to be, there's really no need to sweat it.
12. No one is better than you.
Its completely fine to know that you're better than someone and to not be afraid to say it.
13. Don't ever complain without offering a solution.
14. You're going to have highs and lows, find your midpoint.
15. God is good.
16. Life is NOT a race, it's a road trip, so don't be afraid to stop and enjoy the view.
Never ever fail to look and seek the beauty around you: the way your mother braves a smile regardless of previous events, the warmth of your siblings, the strength of your father, the slow, but steady sunrise and sunset, the way birds fly, and the way the wind whistles. God made all things beautiful, including you, and the most wonderful thing about life, but often the most forgotten, is to look around you and soak it all in.
17. Don't be so hard on yourself.
I'm still learning how to do this but you are human. You are allowed to make mistakes and then you learn from them. If you fail, it's cool, get back up and you'll do better next time. "Do things that feed your soul, not your ego, and you will be happy."
JakeBowden