25 Pieces Of Advice I Wish I’d Had When I Was Younger
1. Don’t date your pre-existing best friend.
Losing a best friend is excruciating, and while it’s sometimes impossible to not fall for your best friend, when and if things fall apart, inevitably, your best friend is never your best friend again.
2. Be honest first and foremost with yourself.
Don’t let anything hold you back from speaking your truth, but make sure your truth is for you and not to merely please others.
3. Do one kind thing a day for someone else.
It benefits both of you, which is something you’ll never regret.
4. If you’re still lucky enough to have your parents and grandparents alive, make time for them!
Make time to see your parents and grandparents or time to speak to them! No excuses. When they’re gone, you’ll wish you had done more of this, so don’t get lazy and let them fall by the wayside.
5. Let go of anger.
The only one that gets hurt when you hold onto anger is yourself. To quote: “Anger is like holding onto a burning hot coal with the intent to throw it at someone else- you’re the only one who gets burnt.”
6. Keep your energy positive to the best of your ability.
It’s proven we are all emitting energy frequency and vibrations. If you hone in on your energy and make a cautious effort to think more positively, you will live a better life- guaranteed.
8. Learn to forgive and view it as a strength.
Forgiving can be hard, but the more you find the patience in your heart to forgive, the more enlightenment and peace you’ll feel and find.
9. Don’t make a plan or a timeline for your life.
“I want to be married by this age, I want to be rich by this age, I need to have children by this age.” Stop! Get rid of all that pressure, scratch all those expectations and trust in your path.
10. Put your phone down.
Get off your phone once in a while and go get out in nature, go to a show, go do anything that brings you joy and be completely, 100% present.
11. Don’t ever compare yourself to others on social media.
This can be harmful to your self-esteem and self-worth. Remember, people only post highlights of their life when they’re in a great moment, not when it’s nitty and gritty. Their life is not consistently extravagantly better than yours- promise.
12. Practice gratitude.
This ritual has changed my life. Write down 10 things you are grateful for every day (or say them out loud), and make sure to tell your loved ones and friends that you appreciate them. The more you practice gratitude, the more you attract things to be grateful for.
13. All emotions are temporary.
Whether mending a broken heart, the loss of a job, grievance- all those painful emotions will pass. You will not hurt forever, nor will you feel joy forever. Being mindful that all emotions are temporary will give you the chance to relish in the joyful feelings, and move past the negative ones.
14. Trust your gut and intuition.
I cannot express this one enough. If you listen to your intuition, it will never steer you wrong and will always lead you to the right place. If your gut and intuition tell you something isn’t right chances are, it’s not.
15. Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
For whatever reason it is, be that addiction, mental health or perhaps just help at your job—never be ashamed to seek help. It is not cowardly, it is not weak, and it is not a failure. It is courageous, brave and admirable to ask for help when struggling in any shape or form.
16. Hate never defeats hate.
Never in a million years has hate been diffused by more hate. In any situation, whether universal or personal—never has anything with a mere trace of acrimony been solved by more hated and acrimony. You cannot fight fire with fire, all that does is leave you in ashes.
17. Just because somebody does a bad thing does not mean they are a bad person.
This one took me a while to truly believe, but it’s true. People make mistakes every day and may they be big or small, at the end of the day incredibly good-hearted people make mistakes too.
18. If you have health, wealth, notoriety or a platform, use it wisely.
If you have the platform to spread awareness and the money to give back to those in need, there is absolutely no reason you shouldn’t be doing so.
19. That being said—money isn’t everything.
In the end, you’re left with your memories and your loved ones, not your money. I’ve always said I’d rather be laughing in a tent with someone I love and adore, than crying in the back of a limo and I stand by that. Greed is one of the ugliest things to exist in this entire world.
20. Laugh as much as you possibly can.
Science shows that people who laugh lots in their life, live longer (and also have sex more frequently). So keep that laughter up, folks!
21. Date someone who brings out the absolute best in you.
Find your equal who inspires you, respects you, adores you, makes you laugh, is thoughtful and kind and who truly loves you and don’t you ever go settling for anything less.
22. There’s the family you’re born into, and then there is the family you choose.
Friends are the family you choose, so choose them wisely. You are the company you keep, but if you find incredible true friends, don’t ever let them go as they are rare.
23. It takes twice as long to build the bridges you burn.
Bridges are easily burnt, yet tough to build. Think about what you say before you say it, and always ask yourself if you’re willing to burn a bridge that may not be rebuildable.
24. If someone holds a grudge, that’s their problem- not yours.
This holds truer if you’ve tried to mend, you’ve apologized, you’ve done all you can. If someone still wants to harbor a grudge, it’s not about you anymore, it’s about their own issues. Move on to more accepting people with less toxicity.
25. To truly discover yourself, travel, travel, travel!
And if you really want to find yourself, travel alone. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done and continue to do and I highly recommend it.