16 Things I've Learned at 16 💖

1. Not everyone shares the same ideals you do. Even though one of your priorities has always been being kind to everyone, you have met people whose only aims were to tear other people down.
2. People always change, whether for better or for worse. They only ever willingly change when they can see what they’re doing wrong.
3. Speaking badly about other people only makes you feel worse in the long run. Watch your words; you’re the only one accountable for them. If you find a certain trait that makes you lose respect for someone, deal with it and try your best never to do it yourself.
4. There are some lessons that you have to learn more than once for them to finally stick. Don’t beat yourself up for it. You’re much harder on yourself than you should be.
5. Standing up for yourself is always scary, especially when you feel like you’ll be alone doing so. You don’t have to let people walk all over you because retaliating in some way feels like it could lead to someone getting hurt. 
6. People express anger in different ways. Some yell. You grow quiet. Some vow to make you miserable in any way they can, whether that’s lying about you or lying to you. Work in silence. The right people will know how to measure your success. Only the people with too much time will spread the lies.
7. You should never go an entire day without listening to music.
8. You will mess up often. Learn from these mistakes. Own up to what you've done. Apologize.
9. But when you're apologizing for what you've done, make sure it's for something you've actually done. don't set yourself on fire to keep others warm. Being vulnerable does not mean you are weak, but it does mean that other people will try to take advantage of you. If you hear something about yourself that sounds ridiculous to both you and the people you surround yourself with, it's likely not true. 
10. Stop worrying about whether you are where you should be. People grow at different rates. Normal is different for different people. You know more than you let yourself believe you do. You just have to trust yourself.
11. Identifying your emotions and what caused them is only half the battle, but you're ahead of those who refuse to try.
12. Having faith in the wrong people has led you to get hurt so many times. Never let this stop you from trusting someone. People are good.
13. You'll never make progress unless you're constantly pushing your limits. Still, remember that they're limits for a reason. Burning yourself out never feels great.
14. There are certain people who were in your life that you think of from time to time and still smile. If they had this effect on you, you had this effect on them too. Knowing you're on someone's mind feels empowering.
15. You can start fresh at any moment. your past will only define you if you keep highlighting it. breathe in the future, exhale the past.
16. You are a collection of your favorite things and your favorite parts of other people, just like everyone else is. You build yourself based on what you know.