8 Things I Wish Someone Told Me As A Teenager

1. Who you are now will not matter.

I don’t care whether you’re the prettiest, most popular girl in school or the shy kid who plays video games in his spare time. Every aspect of your life you accomplish brings forth a chance to be someone new. You don’t have to be the person you are if you’re unhappy. And even if you are, it doesn’t mean that it’ll work in the next aspect of your life. If you’re the hot bitchy high school girl with all the friends, that doesn’t mean you’ll be the same in college. Or later. No one cares who you might have been back in high school. All that matters is now. Prepare yourself.

2. No guy or girl is worth changing your life over.

If you’re ever debating dropping out of a school you love or not taking that dream job somewhere else because of a relationship, stop. High school relationships are not worth changing a huge aspect of your life over. If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. I know plenty of married couples who broke up multiple times due to long distance. Some people can’t do long distance, and that’s fine. But either figure out the long distance thing or break up. If you still love each other when the timing is right, then great. If not, then it wasn’t meant to be.

3. Do not let others dictate who you should be.

This is something that people of all ages and genders struggle with. But this essentially goes with high schoolers who believe that being skinny means being beautiful and having the latest fashion look is the most important thing. It’s not. If you’re trying to lose weight so boys will like you and people will stop calling you names, stop. Do not let others control who you are. Only you can control that. If you like food and wearing pajamas to class, who cares what other people say? When I was in high school, I liked having my hair different colors. Of course, people would make fun of me and say how shitty it looked but I didn’t care; I liked it. However, if you’re unhappy with something, change it. I look in the mirror some days and wish I were skinny, to be happier with my own body. I do it for me. No one else. You should too.

4. Be young.

Think about it. You’re only your age one year of your life. Think about who you are now, do you kind of wish going back in time and telling your twelve year old self to enjoy the things twelve year olds should enjoy? I remember being a kid and wanting to be old enough to not have a babysitter. To be 16 and finally able to drive. I put on makeup, I tried anything to just look or be older. I want to fly back in time and slap myself across the face. You’re only young once, embrace it. You will have plenty of time to drink, have sex, and regret the decisions you made last night once you’re actually an adult. Stop trying to look like you’re 24 when you’re actually 17. Just be 17. You’re beautiful and you don’t need to prove anything.

5. Don’t slack off.

It’s really easy to procrastinate, trust me, I am the queen of procrastination. But don’t slack off. It’s okay to finish writing that essay at 2am before the due date, but it’s not okay to show up empty handed. These types of habits end up becoming natural and even if you don’t end up wanting to go to college, when you show up empty handed to a meeting for work, you won’t look so great. Put your mind to it and do it.

6. Your friends will come and go.

Stop treating your mom like shit and acting like your friends are the most important thing in the world. I know it may feel like it, but trust me when I say that a majority of these people will not matter in 5 or 10 years. And if you have friends that you have to question their friendship to you, you should not be friends with them. It’s time to get them out of your life and find someone new. You’ll make a ton of friends down the road, most likely ones that will treat you better anyway. High school is full of caddy bitches who think the world is revolved around them, just like you. Don’t think they’ll “always be there.” The Spice Girls broke up, that should be a clue enough already.

7. However, NEVER drop friends for a guy.

One of my biggest pet peeves in high school was when my friend got a boyfriend and spent every waking moment with him. I should not have to push him out of my way to be able to talk to you. You should never cancel plans with a friend to hang out with a guy, I don’t care how hot he may be. I’ve seen my fair share of people who drop all their friends and end up only spending time with their significant other. Do you really not want to have a best man or maid of honor at your wedding? Probably not. You should always, always make time for your friends. No guy is worth losing friends over.

8. Stop hurting other people.

You know how much it hurts to get made fun of. Why in the hell would you do it to someone else? Even when I was constantly bullied in middle school and high school, my friend and I would bully a girl we went to school with. Nothing in her face, but stuff posted online and it was mean. After I graduated, I found her on Facebook and apologized for the mean things I said about her. I felt so shitty about it and was so thankful she accepted my apology. But not everyone is like that. I have no idea how she actually felt at the time and what if she happened to kill herself? That would be on me. No amount of laughter or telling someone their ugly will make you any prettier. It’s time to start treating others with respect.