1. apply for that job, to that university, to that internship. call back the friend you haven’t talked to in a while, call back the boy who left that voicemail you can’t delete, call the person you never said a real goodbye to. do it now, do it today. stop putting it off. stop waiting because you keep saying you’ll do it the next day, the next week, the next year like any of these are guaranteed and suddenly you’ve put your life on hold for a later date. stop living for days you might not have. if you want to do it before you die, if you’ll always regret not doing it, then stop putting it off.
2. do not say i love you just because someone else does.
3. don’t let the fear of saying something you’ll regret ever keep you from speaking. you have so much to say.
4. an open letters to all young writers, poets, teenagers and twenty-somethings with inked-stained fingers: you say your writing’s ****. and i’m not gonna lie to you, sometimes it probably is. but sometimes everybody’s best words and ideas still kind of ****. whatever’s on the paper right now might be no good but keep writing, because some day it might be something people find worth quoting or sprawling on their wrists in semi-permanence. we all started at the same place. some day people might read your words and find the truth they were looking for.
5. do not listen to anyone who tells you to curb your ambition, tells you to aim for less than exactly what you want. do not listen to anyone who tells you to aim for something a little more achievable. if you allow yourself to settle, to set your sights on something a little less risky than it’s true you will never be disappointed. but you will also never be satisfied. the risk is often worth it, and if it isn’t then get back up and take another one. life doesn’t not happen when you’re sitting still, so do not listen to anyone who tells you that not everyone can be a star. you do not need negativity. you have no use for people who don’t believe in you.
6. make peace with your demons, they are a part of you too.
7. decide you want it so much more than you are afraid of of it. your fear is like cough syrup - tough to swallow. but you need to, you need to. the things you’re scared of are the things you will remember. adventure is rarely found inside of your comfort zone and sometimes if you are terrified that just means that it matters.
8. never make yourself miserable for the sake of someone else’s happiness.
9. there is a time and place to sharpen your tongue; know when it is. sometimes you need to be mean, you just do. sometimes you need to be selfish, sometimes you need to protect yourself, sometimes you need to think about what you want. sometimes you need to put yourself first because if you don’t no one else will.
10. but in general, be kind. it might not get you everywhere you want to be, but you’ll usually find wherever you are you’ll be happier and sleep easier. so, be kind. be gracious. be grateful. remember, some people have to fight every single day for the rights and opportunities you’ve been born with. in the grand scheme of things, we’re pretty ******* lucky.
an ongoing piece / series
