Things I Wish I Knew (when I knew everything)

I joke that when I was younger, I knew everything. I thought I knew everything. Life is pretty simple when you don’t have to make all of the decisions and everything seems black and white. These are the things I wish I really had known. They’re not profound, really. Just thoughts and ideas and feelings I have had time to look at, sometimes with fresh eyes, sometimes with eyes that are a little wiser.

Life will be bad sometimes, but good things happen because of the bad times.

You will make some bad choices. When you realize that you have made one, accept it, own it, learn from it and don’t do it again.

People will use you and hurt you. Sometimes those people are the ones you love most. It is not your fault. Don’t forget that there are still some people who love you and think you’re pretty damn special just the way you are.

Sometimes you have to roll with the punches. Sometimes you have to fight or struggle. Learn when to roll and when to fight.

If an opportunity knocks, answer the door. It’s better to find out than to live with the regrets of the unknown. Sometimes opportunities don’t knock a second time.

Try. If you fail, you will feel so much better about yourself than you would if you didn’t put yourself out there.

It’s okay if you don’t fit in, people don’t like you or don’t understand you. Being true to yourself is NEVER wrong.

Love yourself and treat yourself well. Do things for yourself that you would do for other people. Sometimes you are the only one who knows what you want and need, and sometimes you are the only one who can give those things to you.

You are a good person and you deserve happiness.

You are entitled to your opinion, thoughts and feelings. It’s okay for people to disagree, to have their own opinions, thoughts and feelings, even when they don’t coincide. It is never okay for someone to belittle your opinions thoughts and feelings. They are yours and yours alone and it’s okay to have them.

Take time for yourself. Life gets busy and chaotic and it’s so easy to get lost in the hustle, bustle and routines. Take time to read that book, sketch that drawing, feed the birds, have a cup of tea, go to a concert. Whatever it is that you’ve been putting off because you “don’t have time”, make some time. Time is something you never get back, how many people would regret having a cup of tea at the end of the road? How many probably regret not realizing how precious time can be?

You are never above helping another, EVER. I’ve seen this attitude, I’ve been on the receiving end of it. Sometimes people really need that ear, those few cents, that help with paperwork, those foodstamps. You are not in a place to judge, you can be in a place to help though, so do it when you can.

Use your manners. It sounds simple enough and it’s something most children hear, but we grow up and some of us forget. Sometimes a simple thank you coupled with a smile can change someone’s day.

You are somebody’s reason to smile. You may not even know it, but you are.

Keep learning and growing. People who stop doing those things have lives that become bitter and stagnant. Never, ever stop growing.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be pretty or handsome or smart or great at athletics. You don’t have to be anything aside from you.

You are loved. Somebody, somewhere loves you a lot. It may not fit your ideals or life goals, but it’s enough and it’s good and it’s pure.