Now y'all know how much I love birthdays, but it's not so much the superficial reasons as the idea of growth and becoming better. I strongly believe that things get better with age and I can't help but look back at how far I've come and how much stronger I've become over the last 12 months. So I present to you, 17 things I learned in my 17th year:
- look to the future but live in the now
- Stress will happen, but you have to learn how to work through it
- You don't need a boy to validate you.
- Go to the gym, it's a great way to let off steam and tone your body in the process. It's a win/win!
- Friendships form in unexpected places
- How I Met your Mother was right, nothing good happens after 2 am, just go to sleep.
- Never make decisions when you're angry because odds are you're going to regret them.
- No matter how alone you feel, you always have people supporting you.
- some friendships change and it sucks but it's just a part of life and we have to move on from it.
- Your mental health comes before anything else.
- treat yo' self!
- aint nobody got time for unhealthy relationships. If you're in one, get out of it. I promise you will only be better for it.
- Adventure is waiting for those who have the courage to seek it.
- Be proud of yourself and your accomplishments, they're visible representations of your hard work!
- There is absolutely nothing wrong with staying home on saturday nights. You'll have your chance to go out in college, but your nights to lay in bed with your dog eating popcorn and watching football won't last forever.
- Take risks. There is nothing
- You don't have to like everyone you've ever met but you do have to be nice to them until they give you a reason not to be. There's nothing people hate more than a mean person. (I learned that one the hard way)
A lot of these lessons have come from mistakes but I've come to the realization that my mistakes have only helped me grow. I am the person I've become because of my past and I am not ashamed of anything. So here's to the past, the present, and the future, and the mistakes we make and won't make again. Happy birthday to me!
xx
