1. You do not necessarily have to chart out every step before you move your foot forward.

2. You deserve to be treated as a valued employee at your job. Just because someone’s title trumps yours doesn’t give them a right to treat you like you’re beneath them.

3. One of the best defenses you can have against shitty bosses and shitty boyfriends or girlfriends is a savings account. Why? Because it means you can give yourself a life boat if you ever need to get out of a bad situation. It can also give you a way to escape from life and go on a trip for a little while. Either way, be your own financial superhero.

4. Tough times show you who your real friends are. It shows you who answers the late-night phone calls, and who will stand next to you even when you’re not the most popular person in the room.

5. Just because you’re exhausted or burnt out doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t love who you are, what you’re doing, or who you are with. The fact is, you can lose enthusiasm or not have any steam left, but if you’re really passionate about something, then your fire for it hasn’t been extinguished. It just needs to be reignited.

6. You are only human. You are. And your mental and physical health are more important than handing in a term paper or dealing with your boss’s latest demand or driving yourself crazy over your relationship.

7. People will disappoint you, and it seems like an awful thing. But in the end, if they let you down, that means they were always capable of hurting you, and it was only a matter of time before it happened. Better to learn what they’re capable of sooner rather than later.

8. STOP FUCKING OVERTHINKING EVERYTHING.

9. Bad pop music will never fail to help your mood (at least a little) in the morning.

10. When you think you’re the only one fighting for yourself, you have to remember that you’re probably wrong. It might seem like the only person sticking up for yourself is you, but you’d be surprised by the amount of other people who advocate for you (and believe in you).

11. You can impose rules on yourself. You can hold yourself to a high standard. You can push yourself to be better. But you can’t be mean to yourself; that’s just not productive.

12. Never underestimate the value of a staycation. If you can’t afford to get away for a while and stay somewhere else, plan some cheap ‘treat yo’self’ activities for, and enjoy spending time caring for yourself.

13. You don’t have to be in a perfect mood all the time or be elated every single second of the day in order to be happy. Happiness and giddiness are not the same thing.

14. You can’t move through your 20s and 30s at the same pace as everyone around you. No one is moving ahead or falling behind or exceeding expectations. You’ve all diverged onto different paths, and need to support each other even if your best friend chooses a complete different route than you do.

15. Stop worrying about how things look and start worrying about how things actually are.

16. When people are talking down to you, instead of just letting them, don’t.

17. Start spending time figuring out how you’re going to make yourself proud. Instead of considering what other people want to see from you, decide what you want to see yourself do.

18. Your actions shape you more than your negative thoughts. Every time you doubt yourself, remember that that isn’t who you are, that is just fear bubbling up inside you. Those worried thoughts don’t even acknowledge all the good you do on a daily basis.

19. What if instead of leaning into the part of your brain screaming that you need a plan, you listened to the part of your brain that says “fuck it, do your own thing”? What would that look like? Think about it. Does it appeal to you, and if so, why?

20. Even if you don’t know exactly what you want to do, knowing what you DON’T want to do is pretty crucial also. Chances are if you think about all the things you won’t do, you’ll have a clearer picture of what you actually like.

21. The healing power of a good night’s sleep shouldn’t be overlooked. Exhaustion is probably one of the biggest reasons you don’t want to deal with life or people right now. Let yourself get some rest.

22. The frustration that a relationship can bring you is not always a bad thing. Even the shitty moments are teaching you something, changing your perspective, and making you stronger and smarter.

23. Ice cream makes everything better. No, really. It does.

24. Pushing the corners of your mouth into a smile really does improve your mood. (This is a “supposedly” fact, but I chose to believe it.)

25. Have a little more patience with the people around you, if for no other reason than it will make them slightly more bearable.

26. Extracting yourself from a toxic situation is more brave than people will often give you credit for. But even if you make a choice that doesn’t look popular to the masses, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right choice.

27. You were not born so you could go to school, work, and then die. You were born so that you could create a life for yourself, and in doing that, perhaps bring more to others’ lives. Of course, everyone has their own answer to what they were put on this earth for, but the point is, it’s your life, and you get to live it once. Are you doing what you want to be doing with that life?

28. Self-doubt is inescapable sometimes, but you have the power to train your mind to bring more positive thoughts in. Try repeating a positive affirmation for just a few minutes every day, and see if it changes your mood at all. Take a few deep breaths whenever you’re feeling stressed. Basically, try to give yourself a little time to decompress.

29. Give yourself permission to approve your own actions, instead of asking someone else for validation.