27 Things I Wish I Could Tell Every Teenage Girl

Here’s a little list of all the things I wish you to know.
A list of things that took me many years to figure out the hard way.
Some of which I’m still learning. 

1. You won’t always wish you were somebody else. You won’t always look around at other girls and women, and place their beauty above your own. One day, you are going to be thankful for the cosmic miracle that is you.

2. All of the things that make you uncool right now, will come to be the most magical things about you as a human being. Try your best to sit with your uncoolness, and learn to love it. Because who decided those things aren’t cool anyway?

3. There will come a day when your kindness is celebrated for its strength, instead of pounced upon as a weakness. So please, don’t ever stop being kind.

4. You won’t always feel so small as you do right now. Like a mouse trying to stay out of the way in a building teeming with wild cats. The only time you’ll feel small when you get older is as you stand tall beside the ocean, at peace with the fierce, yet still gentle, woman you have grown into.

5. Having a boyfriend right now is not as important as you think it is. Because your worth is not determined by the man on your arm, and it never will be.

6. While we’re on the subject of boys – if he EVER mistreats you or betrays your trust in any way, dump his ass because you are worth so much more than that.

7. Society is trying to tell you what your body should look like, and as you look in the mirror, you might feel as though you don’t measure up. But I promise you, you do. Your body is beautiful exactly the way it is, and as long as you hug it and love it often, it doesn’t matter who tries to tell you otherwise.

8. Your beauty is not tied to how “pretty” your face is, or how large your cup size is. Your beauty is your intelligence. Your beauty is your strength of character. Your beauty is your creativity. You see, you might not know it yet, but your beauty runs much deeper than you think.

9. Try your best to surround yourself with good people who inspire you, love you, and truly respect you. Stay away from the ones who try and push you down.

10. You are not the number of followers, likes or comments your photos get online. Period.

11. It takes time to find your true tribe of soul sisters. Don’t panic if you are yet to find them – they are on their way to you.

12. It’s okay to feel lonely sometimes. We all do. But in those moments, try connecting with yourself. Be your own best friend. Be your own lover. Because the more time you can spend on your own and enjoy your own company, the better off you’ll in the many years to come.

13. Who you are today is not who you will always be. Every day, you have the chance to write a new story for yourself, and decide who you’re going to be.

14. If something doesn’t feel right to you, trust and listen to that feeling in your gut. It is there to guide you at all times.

15. Being smart is way more valuable than being sexy. Looks fade, and all you’ll be left with then are your beautiful thoughts and your intricate mind.

16. Those people who are causing you pain, are only doing so because they themselves are hurting.

17. No one has the power to make you feel like you’re worthless. Nobody’s opinion of you should sit above your opinion of you.

18. Sex is about your pleasure, just as much as it is about his. So when you do decide you’re ready to do it, stop worrying about him and what he’s thinking. Tell him what you need, and allow yourself to bliss out.

19. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself when you need to. Because the truth is, you will encounter people and events throughout life where you are forced to fight for yourself, and it’s very important that you do because nobody else will.

20. Most of the brilliant people in this world didn’t fit in high school. You are not alone. And this is just a tiny chapter of what’s set to be an extraordinary book.

21. The women who you place on a pedestal don’t completely have their shit together – because none of us ever do.

22. It doesn’t matter one tiny bit what everyone else around you is doing right now. Don’t feel pressured to fit in, or keep up. Go at your own pace, and do what you want to do.

23. You might think that money and fame will bring you happiness, but I can promise you they never do. You’ve got to get to a place where you’re happy and content on the inside first, then if and when those riches do come, you will be ready to accept them.

24. Don’t be in such a hurry to grow up. Ask most of the grown-ups you know, and they’ll tell you they wish they could find more time to play. Enjoy where you are in your life, and take each day as it comes.

25. Those ads you see on TV, and in the pages of your favorite magazines are not real. They are designed to make you feel like you’re not good enough until you buy what they’re trying to sell you. But I promise you, you don’t need any of it.

26. Everyone around you probably feels just as unsure as you do – they just do a good job of masking it.

27. People often make fun of people they don’t understand. It’s not your job to make sure everyone gets you – but it is your job to understand who you are, and be accepting of that.