Dear Younger Me,

Younger me, I have so much to tell you.

Don’t let one bad grade define your intelligence.

It is hard because you stress so much, but try to put the stress aside and take a break sometimes. You know what you can handle and what you’re capable of.

As long as you try your best and put in effort, that’s all that matters.

The world is full of negative people who will judge you faster than you can snap your fingers.

Don’t let their opinion of you change the way you view yourself.

Have confidence in your outer and inner beauty.

Be careful who you trust.

There are people who will tell you what you want to hear and you’ll want to believe them, but do not do it. Make sure you know who you can truly trust.

People will lie and people will cheat.

Let it teach you a lesson instead of hurt you.

Part of life is making mistakes and learning from them, but you know right from wrong.

Make wise decisions and don’t do anything you know is wrong because one night of “fun” isn’t worth the consequences in the end.

Peer pressure will swarm you and sometimes you will want to give in.

Do not do it!

There is nothing worse than regretting something, especially after you knew it was wrong from the beginning.

The sky’s the limit and you can do anything you set your mind to.

Follow your dreams no matter what anyone says. No one’s opinion matters except your own.

Keep faith in God through it all. You know the morals and values you have, so stick to them. When life gets hard, give it all to God. Without Him, you would be nothing.

Understand that he puts obstacles in your life, not to hinder you but make you stronger.

Know that Daddy is proud of you. Staying up all hours of the night to do school work and a 5.0 GPA isn’t necessary. He is proud of the person you are and don’t forget that.

When you miss him, know that he is watching over you and is your guardian angel.

When you visit his grave, know that he is listening when you talk about your day and life in general.

He hears it all.

When you feel like giving up, stand up and be strong.

No battle is too hard for you.

When someone tests your patience, take a deep breath and stay calm.

Understand that it’s okay not to be okay all the time.

Life is a rollercoaster; full of ups and downs, loops and turns.

You never know the direction life is going in.

Live life with a smile on your face.

Have a personality that everyone wants to be around.

“A day without laugher is a day wasted” and don’t ever forget that.

It’s okay to cry though.

Never hold back your true emotions. When stress becomes too much or someone hurts you, let the tears flow. Tears are a sign of strength.

You will undergo a lot of drama with friends, betrayals, heartbreaks and obstacles.

Stay strong through everything.

You know what you deserve and never settle for less than that.

Spend time with your family and friends even when you don’t feel like it or don’t necessarily want to. You never know when the last time you see or talk to someone will be.

Never be afraid to say “I love you” as long as you truly mean it.

Instead of “goodbye” say “I’ll see you later.”

Life is short.

Life has a weird way of working out.

Things can be so unexpected, so don’t be shocked when things go from amazing to horrible in a split second.

Keep faith, trust in God, live life, love life and love everyone.

Be patient and be kind.

Never forget, you are important.

With much love,

Older You