things I know at age 22

365 days ago, I turned 21 years old.
365 days ago, I weighed 40 pounds more than I do today.
365 days ago, I was extremely unhappy.

I never knew that 365 days could make me change so much, but they did.  However, I don’t know that I feel anymore accomplished than I was on my 21^st birthday.  I still feel lost and I still don’t really know what I’m doing with my life.  However, despite feeling uncertain about many things, I do feel like I have a grip on who I am and what I believe in more so than I did 365 days ago.

I may be simple, I may be unsophisticated, I may not be the cool one, and I may not be the most beautiful, but I am my own person.  I am someone.  I may not quite know who that someone is yet, but I have learned that I’m not a nobody and I matter.  And while I don’t know many things, I think the things I do know are some of the best life lessons any person should know.

things I know at 22:

1. Being miserable and unhappy is not going to make anything better in your life.
2. Sometimes it is healthier to be alone to find out who you are rather than be in a relationship as a nobody.
3. You have to be a friend to have friends.
4. To be passionate and love what you do is more important than being really good at something and miserable while doing it.
5. Love with everything you have inside of you, but also know that it might not always be enough to keep something.
6. You can love someone with your whole heart, but that does not mean that person is meant to be in your life forever.
7. Cutting people out of your life is painful but necessary for you to be completely happy sometimes.
8. It is okay to cry somedays because it is the only thing you can do to feel better, but crying everyday will make you miss out on a lot of things in life.
9. Taking time to find yourself does not make you a failure.
10. Just because you think you are not following the same path as everyone else, it does not mean you are not being successful in your own way.
11. You don’t need to prove or show anyone why you’re happy, just knowing that you are is enough.
12. Learn to love yourself because you can’t love anyone else properly until you do.

I have 365 days to change myself again.  I know I’ll succeed.  I know I’ll fail.  I know I won’t be perfect.  I know I’ll do some things right.

But most of all, I know that I will never be that girl I was 365 days ago.

Thanks to all of my friends and parents who support me unconditionally.  I can never express how much you all truly mean to me ❤