(An non-exhaustive list of things I wish I had figured out twenty years ago.)
It’s okay to:
- say I don’t know.
- say I was wrong.
- dance even if you suck at it. Especially if you suck at it.
- be gay.
- be alone.
- be unpopular, because you will always have at least one true friend cheering for you even if you don’t realize it at the time.
- run at your own pace.
- not fit societal beauty standards.
- not want to fit societal beauty standards.
- depend on other people.
- not be okay.
- make mistakes. In fact, you’re better off making mistakes, it’s how you learn.
- not like things (as long as you’re not a dick about it).
- like things, with enthusiasm and passion, even if other people don’t understand.
- not clean your plate.
- sweat, and have pimples, and fart, and grow body hair. You’re a goddamn human being.
- be a dork.
- spill food on your shirt. It doesn’t mean you’re a slob or a pig, and there’s this awesome stuff called Oxi-clean.
- cry.
- be yourself, once you figure out who that is.