1. You're a woman, not a girl.
Don't let anyone belittle you, or make your
achievements feel anything less than spectacular. You are a woman. You have
accomplished great things, and you will continue to blaze trails. Do not let
people make you feel like a child when you are not.
2. Listen to music you like.
Even if your boyfriend doesn't like it. Even if it's
cliché. Let yourself be happy.
3. Invest in good clothes.
Even if it means you have less to wear, it means you'll
be more comfortable in your skin.
4. Don't wear heels every day.
No fashion statement is worth killing your feet every
day.
5. Learn how to drink.
Learning to hold your liquor is an invaluable skill.
Don't stumble home alone through the metro. Don't scream "I'm so
drunk!" every 30 seconds. Class in all things.
6. Do things that scare you just a
little bit.
You're only young and invulnerable for a little while.
7. Spend your time cultivating
interests.
Be more than shots of vodka and boys on Instagram.
8. But only spend your time doing
things that actually interest you.
If you don't care about 19th-century French art, you
don't care about 19th-century French art. Don't make yourself into someone
you're not.
9. Learn to spend time by
yourself.
It's a unique art to be comfortable alone, facing
feelings of sadness and loneliness head-on. It's difficult for anyone.
10. Make good female friends.
There's nothing more powerful than women who support
women.
11. Cook a little bit.
This isn't 1960 and the burden of domestic chores
doesn't and shouldn't lie entirely with women, but you do need to know how to
feed yourself. This is applicable to 20-year-old men, as well.
12. Take a lot of pictures.
Or journal. Remember that these are times in your life
you'll always remember, even if it doesn't quite feel that way all the time.
13. Don't go out on dates just
because you feel obligated to.
You're better than that. Also, on the other hand, don't
go out on dates just for free food. That's misleading and a little cruel to
everyone involved.
14. Crying is totally okay.
Sometimes you're sad. And sometimes you're really too
sad to care about how acceptable your displays of emotion are.
15. Don't text boys after 2am.
If you're not in a relationship or another sort of
agreement, there's really nothing good that can come out of this.
16. Call your parents.
They've experienced more life than you have. Also, they
miss you, and like knowing that you're alive and doing okay.
17. Talk to your siblings.
If you're lucky enough to have them, start talking to
them more. Your relationship will be a lot different from when you were both
kids, and they can turn out to be pretty cool people.
18. Go experience life.
Everything's exciting when you're 20, and maybe it
won't be when you're 30 or 40. Make mistakes. Go to concerts. Say yes.
19. Treat yourself every once in a
while.
Yes, it's hard to spend money when you're a millennial
and swamped with more debt than you know what to do with as well as a
low-paying job, but if you want that new purse -- get yourself that new purse.
20. Breathe.
You are going a thousand different directions at a
thousand different speeds. You are swamped with ideas of what you should do,
who you should be, where you should go. Stop every now and then. Breathe in.
Remember that you are important.