25 Things I Would Definitely Tell My Younger Self About Growing Up If I Could

1. The first day is always hard. I had no idea what I was doing, or where I was going. Don’t beat yourself up if you had a shitty first day. You have 4 years ahead of you.

2. Say “Hi, my name is…” to everyone. You’ll make great friends with someone that you may not think you might be friends with.

3. Don’t make “enemies” in your mind, or focus on “the girl that you hate for no reason”. It’s a waste of time, and you’ll spend less time on your own growth.

4. Make friends with all of your teachers. Worst case is, you get called a “teacher’s pet”. But, if you succeed, you’ll gain some of the best mentors in life.

5. Join every club you can, whether or not you think they’ll benefit to your career or not. You’ll learn a lot of things that you can use in life.

6. Run for class office. You don’t need to be the president, but run for any office. If you win, you’ll gain leadership skills. If not, you’ll at least improve your public speaking skills.

7. Take as many electives as you can, even those you not might like. You’ll learn something in the end.

8. It’s ok to go to a dance by yourself. Going by yourself doesn’t mean you’re going to end up alone. You can always meet up with your friends at the dance. And you can always flirt with that cute girl standing by the food.

9. Don’t be afraid to get help from your teachers, even if they scare you. You’re not going to be seen as dumb.

10. Don’t ignore the kids who call you dumb. Don’t believe them either. They already think that they know everything. Use all of your energy into proving them wrong. At the end, you may not know more than them, but your knowledge will grow.

11. There is no peak to your knowledge. There is no peak to everything. Everything is only going up, even though you seem to be going down. Trust me, you don’t want your peak to be right now.

12. You don’t want to pursue the guy who listens to Avenged Sevenfold, hangs by himself, and can barely handle his mental health. You also don’t want to pursue the guy who falls fast for girls and owns a real gun. Trust me, bad boys are tempting, but they aren’t good for your mental health.

13. Going to a therapist does not make you weak. You’re strong for admitting you need help, and you’re only going to get stronger from here.

14. Dating is overrated. It’s basically just finding an attractive person who hangs around your friend group, goes to your school, and has one or two things in common that you hang out with and sometimes kiss. Focus on friendships instead.

15. “Popular kids” aren’t always going to be popular. Some of them are popular because they do drugs, have money and have lots of sex. If you want to be popular, be popular for success.

16. Volunteer and give back to the community. It will broaden your experiences and help you gain empathy for others.

17. Don’t complain if your parents drag you on all of these trips. You’ll gain unforgettable memories that you’ll keep in your mind for years.

18. Choose your partners if you can in projects. If you can’t, do your best to stay calm and not get too worked up over something that’s insignificant in the real world. Being able to stay calm and create positive energy in even the most chaotic situations will prepare you for the workforce.

19. Know when to quit. Despite the fact that it’s good to keep going, it’s good to know when to quit something. It will save you so much energy and prevent you from worrying about stupid things.

20. Work on what you’re good at and what you’re not good at. Improve your skills that you want to work on, and exceed your own expectations with your “mastered” skills.

21. Take initiative. It’s as simple as saying “I’ll do it”. Know what it’s like to be responsible.

22. Study over an extended period of time, not just the night before. You’ll save time from cramming and tears.

23. Take care of your health physically and mentally. You’ll instill good habits early on.

24. Listen to your gut if you aren’t sure about something. Chances are, it’s going to be right.

25. Don’t forget your laptop charger. Don’t forget cash. Don’t forget anything.