50 Pieces of Advice I Should Give My Current Self

1. Encourage yourself to follow the path you want, regardless of who approves.

2. You’re not benefiting from procrastination.

3. Get a shower the night before that way you can enjoy your mornings.

4. Don’t spend so much time checking Instagram. It’s not real.

5. Stop feeling ashamed of your artwork. Art is completely subjective and if someone doesn’t like it, that doesn’t have to define your talent or skill level.

6. Eat a fucking vegetable. You’re 28.

7. Don’t preach ‘body confidence’ if you take the same picture from 30 different angles. If you say you’re confident in yourself, then show it. You’re beautiful.

8. Stop canceling plans day of.

9. Work out for just an hour. That’s it.

10. Stop trying to please everyone and live up to everybody else’s standards. You’re not them, and they’re not you.

11. Feel your emotions. They’re raw and they’re real, and they can sometimes be overwhelming. Allow yourself to feel bad and don’t apologize for it.

12. Book the trip to Portland, Oregon instead of looking up travel itineraries on Southwest. Same goes for Orlando, Atlanta, and San Francisco.

12. Stop looking at everything in your house as holding a monetary value. You’re not going to have a yard sale anytime soon and you’re borderline hoarding all your shit. Donate it. Declutter your life.

13. Read more. You spend so much time on Facebook your brain is turning to mush.

14. Quit thinking that you have to go through with something that’s hard on you. You owe nothing to people.

15. Visit your dad. He misses you.

16. Quit living for the weekend. Your dreams deserve more than 48 hours of attention.

17. Get a little more serious with your finances. Sometimes, you’re a little out of control.

18. Don’t push off getting a mammogram.

19. Start speaking up if you’re bothered by something instead of beating around the bush in an effort to not offend someone. You are absolutely entitled to have an opinion on something that affects you. You don’t have to be mean to be honest.

20. Make more time for fun instead of being such a planner. Every day doesn’t have to adhere to a strict schedule. You’re missing out on the spontaneity of life that way.

21. Don’t push off cleaning the house until the weekend. A lot of damage can be done in a week. Especially, because you’re a slob. Work on that.

22. You are capable of chasing after and accomplishing all of the things you want out of life. Don’t give up just because it’s hard.

23. Remember to work hard and don’t become complacent.

24. Don’t push things off until later. Yes, tomorrow is never guaranteed, but why postpone something that’s going to bring you happiness? Your responsibilities will always be there tomorrow.

25. Learn to market yourself better.

26. Brag about yourself! I don’t know why there’s a stigma around being proud of your accomplishments. Boast about the good job you did at work, at school, at home, or in your community. Sometimes you need to pat yourself on the back. There’s nothing wrong with that.

27. If you don’t like the direction your job is going, then speak up. Don’t go with the flow if it’s not the job you want or not the job you deserve to have. Don’t just take what is handed to you.

28. Don’t be afraid to elope.

29. Remove the pressure off yourself that you *have* to be ready for marriage, a house and kids. These are big steps and they shouldn’t be taken if you have a sliver of a doubt as to whether or not you’re ready for them.

30. You’re doing just fine.

31. You bring a lot to the table. You brighten people’s lives. You’re of value. You’re of worth.

32. Stop embellishing parts of your story. What you’ve carved out of life IS good enough.

33. Don’t try to minimize your opinions just to continue a conversation. It’s okay to say that you don’t like something, someone or a policy. You don’t have to diminish your beliefs or interests just so someone will talk to you.

34. You really don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re a smart, kind, motivated and unique woman and you’re lucky to have your life – even if it’s hard and troubling at times.

35. You have and continue to overcome obstacles. That makes you incredibly strong and brave.

36. You’re not too old to listen to Disney pandora on the way to work. These are the songs of your childhood and there’s nothing wrong with singing a little, “Part of Your World” while sitting in traffic.

37. Do not wait to share a story with your dad. You know just how quickly someone you love can be taken from you.

38. Spend more time building people up instead of gossiping.

39. Make amends.

40. Eat healthy if you want the hot body. You will literally not get it any other way.

41. Try not to waste all your free time because you’re ruled by your emotions. Life is just too damn short for all that. It’s okay to be sad, but don’t let that emotion linger the entire day if you can help it.

42. Go outside your comfort zone. You’ve always found success in going after the things you thought you couldn’t do. And by success, I mean you’ve learned you can still want to try in spite of failure.

43. Do not be ashamed of your political affiliations. Don’t let anyone belittle you because of your beliefs or because someone disagrees with them.

44. Print out all the pictures you take, because one day, Facebook and Instagram will stop working and you’re going to lose years and years and years of memories you’ll want to hold onto.

45. Say yes to things: opportunities, work responsibilities, invites, dinners. These will help you to lead a fuller life.

46. Be okay with moving. Your family are your roots, and that is where your home will always be. You don’t need to stay tethered to them forever or else you’ll never bloom.

47. Be mindful of what you claim to understand. There are situations where you will not understand how someone else feels. Don’t act like you do. Do what you can to voice your unwavering support instead of trying to fix the issue.

48. Try and be more forgiving of those around you who are trying to understand your life and your emotions. Not everyone has lost a parent and at the end of the day, they’re trying to understand your needs – even if you wish it were done in a different way.

49. Start doing yoga.

50. Choose happiness. You’ve had a really rough year and you’ve lost yourself through your sadness. Choose to be happy anyway you can get it. You deserve happiness – always.