1. Be kind to your mother.
2. Travel as much as possible.
3. If you’re a woman, carry pepper spray with you.
4. Understand that family is just a title for a group of people you share genes with – if something goes wrong, it’s not the end of the world.
5. Be conscious of what you eat in terms of taste and quality, but if you agonize over how many calories something is or how fat you’re going to get, your brain will explode and you will not be able to enjoy anything.
6. If you’re going to be stingy, know what you’re saving for.
7. Wear color.
8. Try as much ethnic food as possible.
9. For the ladies: Invest in a nice pair of boots, high heels, flats, comfortable walking shoes, and sandals.
10. For the men: Wear cologne – it’ll definitely turn a girl’s head.
11. Don’t try to fix everything – just let things be.
12. There will be moments when you are so overwhelmed that you can’t bring yourself to do anything and you just sit in a state of stress. I still don’t know exactly how to deal with these situations, but thus far, I just find a friend and get it done.
13. Take lots of pictures!! They’re the only things that last.
14. When you find friends that you know really care about you, do everything you can to keep them.
Remember though that friendship is a type of relationship too, so it’ll take at least a little effort
15. Don’t waste time, but on that same thread, get enough sleep – you can’t function or appreciate things when you’re too tired.
16. Learn as many languages as you can.
17. Being cool isn’t about drinking a lot or having a zillion friends – it’s about being comfortable in your skin and not being obsessed with an image that you’re trying to fill – once that happens, the copious drinking and zillions of friends will come to you.
18. Let yourself be loved.
19. Drink tea, eat Nutella.