Oh man oh man, I cannot BELIEVE that I turn 25 in a short few weeks and how far away I am from the 18 year old me from high school. I mean Rob’s 10 year high school reunion is this coming year y’all. It is also really crazy and cool to see how far I have come in life and how much I have changed from the girl I used to be in high school. There is SO MUCH I would tell that girl to reassure her that life is going to be OK, knock her off that high horse she rode on, and comfort her through those 4 years of awkward moments, amazing and fun memories, and rollercoaster of emotions. That 18 year old me shaped the woman I am today and if I could share the wisdom that I have learned in these years that have passed to anybody in high school, or for those who are headed into college, or who may be in their first year of college then I sure as heck am going too.
P.S. At the bottom you will find pictures of me from high school, apologies for the terrible edits my younger self made LOL.
Your social status will NOT Define You For The Rest Of Your Life
Listen up ladies and gents! The social status that your peers conform you to is NOT who you are, it does not define you, and high school will come and go as life will go on, and you will hardly talk to anyone who you used to socialize with in high school. SO STOP being worried about being “cool” and “popular”, and stop falling into peer pressure to be someone you are not just to sit at the cool kids’ table. If you love band then do band, if you are a rockstar at football then play football, if you genuinely love to cheer then cheer your butt off BUT do not conform to the culture of your hometown just to do what everyone else is doing. You will turn into someone you are not.
Be YOU
Which falls right into my next topic. Be YOU. There is no one like you and that is the most beautiful thing. It is something I have had to learn through my teenage years and twenties. Don’t change yourself for anyone. Don’t lose yourself. Be proud of who you are. You are going to mess up in high school and college but those mess ups will teach some of life’s biggest lessons. Embrace the screw ups because you will grow so much from them but they will NOT define you. Give yourself some grace.
Be KIND
This one is so important. I CANNOT stress this enough. It is a lesson I learned the hard way. Be nice and kind to everyone. You do not know what is going on in people’s lives behind closed doors or what battles they face. I thought I was so cool in high school and I thought it was great to be hanging around the older kids and athletes in high school, and the kids that threw all the ragers in high school and IT IS FINE if that is your clique of friends, some of my best memories came from those group of friends but DO NOT be an asshole or jerk just because you think you are so cool. I swear I could just go back and slap myself sometimes, and be like “witch watch the damn attitude.” If you have a chance to help another kid out or ask if they are ok, or even just give a nice compliment then do it. You are not going to be any less of a person by being nice.
Your First Love
This one is going to hurt a little and in the moment but I PROMISE you, you will be ok and be a stronger bitch because of it. You will most likely experience your first love, the puppy love, in high school. The type of love that will knock you off your feet and make you believe that that person is “THE ONE.” And if you married your high school sweetheart, GREAT! Skip on down to my next point, but for the ones who are in a relationship with a boy/girl that are belittling you, cheating on you, mentally abusing you, degrading you, and making you feel less of a person or like you are not good enough to be treated with the respect you deserve then you need to cut that person loose and enjoy the few years you have of your youth. I say this from experience because the boy I thought was my true love wasjust someone I loved and cared deeply for but he was not my true love. He was my learning experience and taught me what I wanted in life and who I wanted to be with in the future. There is HUGE difference between loving someone and being IN LOVE with someone. It’s hard and you will crawl back to that person because you felt like you gave your all to them and you just want them to care for you the way you care about them but stop chasing them sweetie and let it go. You are going to meet and date so many more people in life and in order for others to respect you, you have to respect yourself. If you let people treat you like garbage then you will always get garbage men/women in your dating life.
Time To Take The Trash(Y) Friends Out
I am not friends with ¾ of the friends I had in high school and college and that’s because they were never meant to be in my life that long. HEAR THIS LOUD AND CLEAR, cut the shitty people out of your life. It might feel lonely at first or like you made a mistake but for your sanity and soul cut them out. Stop surrounding yourself with people who bring you down, make you feel like a loser, and who lead you to make bad decisions in life. Do NOT have friends that gossip about other friends because 100% of the time they will turn right around and gossip about you and stab you in the back, and don’t be that person who gossips. Cut the people out of your life who make fun of you for not not doing the same things you were doing when you were in high school and college. You should grow and flourish with your friends not be suckered down by their bad choices in life. Having a close inner circle of amazing friends is better than having a giant group of fake friends. Hold on to those good people in life that bring out the best in you.
Let Go Of The Past
Don’t harbor on to the things that happen in high school. Do not wish bad things on people who once made out with your ex at a party or that person who egged your car/rolled your house. Like I said earlier WE ALL make me mistakes and if you are harboring those nasty feelings into your twenties then you have some serious issues with yourself. Life goes on and people change. LET IT GO.
Cherish Your Parents
You literally get a few short years with your parents before you go off to college. I was always that kid who wanted to grow up fast and be out of the house so I could make my own rules and not have to answer to anyone and then in a blink of an eye life happens and you are older and so are your parents. I would love to be able to go back in time and enjoy those nights with my parents when they didn’t let me go out instead of throwing some sassy teenager fit. So give them extra tight hugs and kisses and tell them how much you love them and appreciate them.
Leave Your Hometown and Have Fun
Get of your hometown even if it’s just for a year or two. Go away for college or travel the world. You will grow as a person and learn so much from outside your comfort zone. It will be scary and rough but it will bring amazing life experiences. It is fine to end up back in your hometown but do not stay their your whole life. Don’t wish you lived someone else’s life, go out and create your own away from home. LASTLY and most IMPORTANTLY, have fun! Enjoy life and embrace all the highs and lows. Life is messy and beautiful but you literally only get one. Be the best version of you and never regret a single thing a life because it all leads you to a bigger purpose on your journey.
Xo Natalie Z
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