19 Things About Life You Learn After You Graduate

1. The life advice you receive from teachers will help you more than the field they teach. Don’t roll your eyes. Listen. Accept. Utilize.

2. Nobody who loves you will decide anything or anyone else is more substantial than your relationship. They will have friends, family, acquaintances. But they will have you, in the most profound and statuesque way. If not so, they are not yours.

3. You can decide who your friends are by the way they stand up for you. Whether they choose to or not.

4. Sex or the lack thereof does not define you. It’s like shaming someone for having a common, natural human desire. Oh, wait, it’s the EXACT same thing.

5. Some people will love the wrong people. Some will not love the right people. Nevertheless, you cannot change that. No matter how much you really, really wish you could.

6. Let go of toxic people. They do not serve you, love you, support you or will forgive you. You are much more deserving and entitled to people who will never forget your luster.

7. Never apologize for being yourself. Never apologize for your friend for being themselves. You are free, young, lovely and adventurous. If someone doesn’t see that then whose fault is that, really?

8. There is a fine line between not being able to let go and simply expressing yourself. Fuck what anyone thinks, because you know what you need to do in order to move on from any situation. If that means to blog about it, rant to a friend or aggressively write letters you never mail out, then go ahead and never ever fucking apologize.

9. Explore. Ask as many questions as you can. Let curiosity carry you into a new subject. Never stop wondering how and why. You deserve to know the truth and you deserve to discover new things.

10. Do what is good for you, not what seems good at the time. It is much more satisfying to say, “I struggled but I am so happy now,” than to settle with something that only gave you momentary satisfaction.

11. Love wisely, but love well.

12. Social networks do not own you. You can excessively use them, or choose to never sign up. That is all up to you but they are not what define you.

13. Never let discouragement decide whether or not you do or don’t do something. Never accept control from anyone.

14. Be free. You will only refuse to forgive yourself for not doing something. I mean, would you rather spend forever wondering, “what if,” or thinking, “oh, well”?

15. Listen when you don’t have much to say. Speak up when you have too much.

16. Every sustaining relationship requires effort. You know when you know. When you fall in love with the person you’re supposed to, never stop fighting for them. Things get hard but your love will always prevail.

17. Strengthen yourself. Mentally, physically and most importantly, emotionally. Every hardship you undergo and every heartbreak you endure makes you better, stronger and happier.

18. It’s okay to be who you are, as it is to strive to be who you wish to be. It is in nobody else’s place to tell you who you are or to give you a label. You are your own author, and you own the book.

19. You deserve love. You are worth everything. You are not weak, you are beautiful. Take this to your grave.