This is a follow-up to an opinion piece posted here.

After almost 18 years of living, I have came to realize that life is not easy, but it’s beyond worth the fight.

After being surrounded by a society growing up that was nothing more than caring and passionate about life, I learned how important life was and how to never take it for granted.

Over my last six years, though, I would say that the society surrounding me has taught me more than I ever thought possible about how fast people change, how people are not who they say they are and how respect is far easier to lose than to gain.

So to the younger me:

Please realize that you are not alone.

You have a lot of growing to do, but you will be more mature than the people around you. This will be good at times and at other times, not so much.

You will learn a lot early on, some things you shouldn’t have to overcome and learn at such a young age. Understand, though, that what you are learning will follow you throughout your entire life so don’t take these lessons for granted, even if learning them was harder than you ever expected.

Be kind even when it means holding your tongue and staying calm. You will learn early on to pick the battles you fight wisely because all of them aren’t worth worrying over. It’s better to stay kind and hold back hateful words than get in trouble over something that won’t matter the next day.

Forgive everyone. It might be hard but living life with the weight of grudges is so much harder.

Find time to build relationships and strengthen relationships. Life is priceless and can be gone in a blink of an eye, so don’t ever miss out on the opportunity to tell the ones you love just how much you love them.

Make memories that will last a lifetime because one day, you will want to look back on them and be happy, not regretful.

You will always be the first to say “I’m sorry” even when it isn’t your place to do so. Don’t look at this as a bad quality to possess; instead, allow it to teach you that letting things go is the way to go.  

Stand up for what you believe in and don’t ever stop. Allowing others to run over you doesn’t get you anywhere but upset and intimidated. Rather, be someone who people know fights for their beliefs because that shines brighter than fear.

Hold your faith close and never let it go. There will be times that you question it, but understand that everything happens for a reason and God is in control no matter what obstacles you come to.

Dad is watching over his baby girl, even when you don’t think he is. Focus on the things life offers and remember he is right there watching over you and would be with you if he would.

You will learn that decisions are hard to make and sometimes don’t always have the outcome you would hope for. Trust in God and keep pushing through because there is a light in the darkness even when you feel completely engulfed.

You were born with a heart that cares, loves and believes in people even when they are undeserving. Love them anyway, even if it breaks your heart. The lessons that come from heartbreak are something that will never fade, no matter how long you live.

There will be many times when you feel as if you love others more than they love you. Feeling this way isn’t something to be disappointed by. It shows how much you are willing to do for the ones you love.

Hold your standards high and don’t settle for anything less than the best for yourself. I promise, you’ll thank yourself later.

I could go on and on, but the last thing I want to say is this: Wake up each and every morning and thank God for another day and for the life you have. You have so much to be thankful for.

You will accomplish so much. You will let people down when you don’t mean to and you’ll make mistakes because you aren’t perfect. You will become the person you never wanted to be before you become the girl you always dreamed of being.

Take every day a day at a time and remember that you are blessed and God has your back.

With much love,

The older you