Why didn't somebody tell me this sooner

having a conversation with yourself, just not your current self. Picture yourself at some point in the future when not doing the thing you’re struggling to start doing now will come back to bite you in the butt. So if you don’t want to do your homework, imagine the you in a few months (when you get your grade) or a few years (when you’re trying to get into the college that’s your top pick) who will be most affected by your current decision. Or if you’re struggling to do something that’ll have a long-term impact on your physical health, let’s say, imagine seeing yourself when you’re like eighty years old, when a lifetime of eating an unhealthy diet, not exercising, or not wearing sunscreen will really be catching up with you

What I wish somebody had told me back then is you can get over the motivational hump by using this strategy: imagine

Consider new opportunities, even if they seem impossible at first. Don’t say no to something just because it’s big and scary. Your future and your future happiness depend on it.

but what I wish somebody had told me back then (because I’m sure I could’ve used this knowledge in other situations) is that you have to take risks to make progress, to grow as a person, and to make your life better. You cannot play it safe and stay in your comfort zone all your life and expect anything to change or improve. Try new things.

how awful things are. Instead, know that getting through this tough thing you’re facing and figuring out what you can do about it can make you smarter and stronger and even happier (maybe not immediately, but one day)

how awful things are. Instead, know that getting through this tough thing you’re facing and figuring out what you can do about it can make you smarter and stronger and even happier (maybe not immediately, but one day)

It’s by struggling in sports or school that we decide we need to work harder or try different strategies, like changing how you study after getting a bad grade. It’s by struggling that we learn that we can and must trust and rely on other people. It’s by struggling that we get motivated to make much needed change in our lives.

So when things get hard, which they will, don’t invest all your mental energy and emotion into wishing the hard thing away or making yourself miserable by mentally dwelling on

), that we learn how to deal with our emotions and navigate and cope with even tougher situations that we’ll face later in life.

What I wish somebody had told me back then is life will not only inevitably put you in hard situations, but being in hard situations is actually essential to living a really good life. It’s by going through hard things and hard times, whether they’re big

You don’t have to love who anyone tells you to love. Heck, you don’t have to end up in a committed, long-term relationship with another person at all. You don’t have to stay in your hometown. You don’t have to study what your parents want you to or go into the same line of work as one or both of your parents. You don’t have to play by their rules. You can decide you’re going to live the life you want to live. And you don’t have to feel guilty about your decision to live your life the way you think is right for you.