All teenagers should hear this.

In this article, I give 11 pieces of advice that I wish I knew as a teenager…

If you are a teenager yourself, or whatever stage of life you are at, I hope this advice helps you in some way.

My whole personality and identity has shifted in the last 5 years. At my core being, I am still a child who wants to be loved, but the way I see and interact with the world has completely changed since I was a teenager… I wish I knew these things when I was younger

1. You are enough. Exactly as you are. There are always going to be flaws in yourself, but know that you are more than enough, now and forever. Still try to work hard, and learn and be better, but never think that you aren’t enough. You don’t need to prove yourself by getting good grades or going to cool parties.
2. Not everyone is going to like you, and you have to live with that. Don’t try to change yourself to fit in. If people don’t like you, they don’t have to stick around. Be authentically yourself and you will attract people who are on your level.
3. People will let you down. Pretty much everyone puts themself first, so when someone lets you down, don’t blame yourself. Know that it isn’t your fault. They might have something crazy going on in their life that they can’t share with you… You never know someone else’s story.
4. Listen to your gut. It is almost always right.
5. Surround yourself with the people you want to be like. Don’t spend all your energy investing time into a relationship that makes you feel less than. Surround yourself with people who lift you up and who you want to be like.
6. Beauty comes in all different shapes and sizes. Beauty is not just the superficial layer, it comes from within. Beauty is confidence, personality and the energy you project into the world. Whatsmore, everyone sees beauty differently. Don’t try to conform to the ‘traditional’ sense of beauty. Through that, you lose your individuality, your uniqueness, and what makes you special.
7. Don’t say yes to everything. When you spread yourself too thin, it’s very hard to show up at your best. Do what you are passionate about, but don’t do something just because you think you ‘ought’ to.
8. You can do anything you set your mind to. It just requires hard work, commitment and persistence. It is not going to happen overnight, but if you really want to achieve it, you will.
9. Keep your mind wide open. New ideas will be presented to you. If they challenge your beliefs, think about why and how. Instead of being defensive, be thoughtful, compassionate and open to learning new things.
10. Stick up for yourself. Just because you don’t like confrontation, it doesn’t mean you should stay quiet when you feel hurt. Voice your feelings, calmly and respectfully, because your beliefs and values are important.
11. No one is perfect. Literally no one. If you love someone fully, you love their flaws too.

I recently created a video on YouTube where I go into greater depth with each of these points. If you are interested, check out the video below and let me know what resonates with you.

Until next time xx