16 Things I would tell my 16 year old self

I'm fairly certain I'm having a quarter life crisis. I've been thinking a lot about how much change occurs in the years between high school and post college. Obviously, time brings change, but most things that I thought I wanted when I was 16 I either have made happen, or have decided they were never for me at all. I thought I'd share the wisdom I have accumulated:

1. Don’t stress yourself out with finding something to be good at. The thing you’re best at is being who you are.

2. You might not feel like you matter much now, but you will make a mark in all the places it matters.

3. Mom was right. Good things really do come to those who wait.

4. Don’t listen to the voices that tell you that you can’t do something. You love to prove people wrong, and you will, even when they’re not there to see it.

5. Someday you will be surrounded by the most amazing friends anyone could 
ask for, and that's the only kind of popularity that will ever matter.

6.   Quit worrying that you’re never going to have life adventures. Take your time, and at the right moments with the right people it will happen!   

7. As much as the people you’re surrounded with now try to crush your spirit, someday you will be appreciated for the same thing they despise you for, being happy,  so never get discouraged.

8. You’re a hell of a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for, so stop taking people’s crap.

9. One day you will realize that all the pain was totally worth it, because instead of tears of pain, you will cry tears of joy.

10. Grandpa was always right when he said “pick yourself up and start all over again,” he must know something, because it really is the best solution.

11. Grandma was always right when she said “Everything will fall in place” and “there’s a reason for everything.”

12. All the little mundane moments that seem so routine, are the best moments, because you can never get them back.

13. It’s pointless trying to prove anything to anyone. The people who matter already know, and the people who don’t matter, don’t matter for a reason!

14. There is no magical moment when you become an adult, just face it, you’re never growing up!

15. All the status in the world is no match for happiness and self-satisfaction.

16. Ten years from now you might understand what the people who care about you have been telling you. But then again give it 20 years, you are a late bloomer!