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to a younger me

Last week I spent some time skyping with a good friend I haven't talked to in a while. During our conversation, she said that she thought it would be interesting (and kind of creepy) to be able to put her current mind in her 5-year old body -- how she would see the world differently, what choices she would make differently. This got me thinking, what would I do differently if I knew when I was younger what I know now? In all honesty, I don't think I would change any choices I have made up to this point in my life, because those are the choices (the good and the bad) that have brought me to where I am -- and I'm pretty happy with that. But, I still like to think about what advice I would give to a younger me...

Be confident in yourself. You are beautiful and strong and more capable than you give yourself credit for.

Don't be afraid to take chances. Not everything works out, but that's ok. You'll never know unless you try. Don't let your fear of doing something (or not doing something) lead to regrets.

It's ok to have seemingly impossible dreams. Work hard and take chances and some of those dreams might become reality.

You don't always have to do what people expect of you. This life is yours to live, not someone else's. Doing things just to make other people happy will only make you miserable.

Play with your hair color. Play with your style. Being young is about having fun and finding yourself.

Life is more fun when you can be spontaneous.

Don't worry so much about boys and dating. Get to know yourself and love yourself. You have plenty of time to be a part of a couple, but only so long to experience life on your own. Plus, there are a lot of things in life that are better (and easier) to experience while you are single!

It's ok to spend money on nice clothes once in a while.

Exercise is important, and you actually like it a lot more than you think you do.

It's ok to love boy bands.

Enjoy dessert, but be smart about it. It's one of the things in life that is better in moderation.

Don't worry about what other people think of you. Be yourself. Don't try to hide the things you love or personality traits you think others will judge. You are different and interesting and people love you because of your quirkiness, not despite it. And those who judge aren't worth your time or energy.

Spend time with those you love. Make memories, because you never know how much time you'll have with them.

You're not perfect, and that's ok. Don't beat yourself up for making mistakes. Move on and do better next time.

Sometimes life sucks. It's the truth, and there's not much you can do about it. But stay positive and you'll be happy despite the suckiness. Remember, you can't know true joy without first knowing sadness. You'll be happier during the good times after making it through the miserable times.

Have faith. Things will work out the way that they're supposed to, even if it seems like everything is falling apart.

Smile. Life is wonderful!

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