Things I'd tell my younger self......

I work with a lot of adolescents transitioning into adulthood.  I particularly enjoy working with young women on the cusp of going out into the world on their own.  I spend a lot of time telling them things that I wish someone had been willing or able to share with me at that age - understanding, of course, that I probably wouldn't have listened.  Perhaps these lessons gain their strength from the years of not knowing them, but I’d like to think that by sharing some of those hard-earned lessons maybe someone will get on their true path sooner than I did.

1.       Trust people, but think for yourself.

2.     Have a 3-, 5-, and 10-year plan, but be flexible and recalculate frequently.  Know where you want to be and what it might take to get there.  Don't just say it...imagine it, breath it in and know how you could get there.

3.       Save some money, even just $5 or $10 every pay. Just get in the habit of saving for yourself.

4.       Don’t be embarrassed to be smart.

5.       Don’t bother with people who aren’t bothering with themselves.

6.       Never be afraid to go somewhere new, but always have a way home.

7.       Surround yourself with interesting people – people who confuse you, people who challenge you, people who make you laugh, and people who intrigue you.

8.       Never underestimate the value of hard work, and never confuse the pay for the value.

9.       Don’t take everything that’s said to you as being about you; it isn’t.

10.   When being given advice, consider it as a plate of food – take the meat but leave the bones.

11.   Don’t fear your alone time; embrace it and make it internally productive.

12.   Don’t hold on to things just because they’re familiar or comfortable - this applies to t-shirts, furniture, boyfriends, living spaces, and beliefs.

13.   Surround yourself with people who disagree with you; they’ll help you truly develop a belief system.

14.   What you want isn’t always what you need, and what you need isn’t always pleasant.

15.  Understand that you can learn something new about yourself every single day.  Don't go to sleep without figuring out what you've learned.