the list

I stumbled upon this today, a post I wrote at the ripe age of 18: the list. a [somewhat] comprehensive list of the things I need to remind myself of on an [almost] daily basis. It's been six years, and so much, and so little has changed all at the same time. A few years ago, I pulled the post down, but I think this needs to be out in the world, if for nothing else than to remind myself that the things I thought when I was 18 are still relevant and important and useful.

• One. Confidence is the most important, followed by compassion (or just regular passion) and charm. In essence, the three c’s. Confidence probably is the hardest for you. And you’ve always said that you can only relate to people who have sought a true passion in their lives, so it’s only appropriate that you constantly refresh your own. Charm speaks for itself.
• Two. Soda is never worth it. The regular kind isn’t worth the calories, the diet kind isn’t worth the chemicals. Water, on the other hand, purifies your body. Or iced tea! Drive to Starbucks and treat yourself to a venti passionfruit. You won’t regret it
• Three. Spinning class isn’t going to kill you. Neither is going to bed early. Crawl into bed and get the rest you need so you can spin it off during the day.
• Four. Invest in really wonderful things that suit you [such as the most fabulous floral dress in the history of mankind, now in your possession], not mediocre things. This includes: fabulous clothing, reading material, music, and good shoes. If you have no reason except for lust, invent a reason.
• Five. No dream is too big; nothing can stop you except for yourself. This is true in almost everything [especially your yellow house!] Need reinforcement? Listen to the Wicked soundtrack again.
• Six. You should probably wash your hands more often. Just trust me on this one. Remember that swine flu lecture? Yeah.
• Seven. Become well-read. You dreamed about this as a little girl, it’s the cheapest way to make yourself interesting. Every single character can teach you a morsel about yourself. [Note to self: arrange big-little book swap ASAP]
• Eight. Sometimes, you need to give people a break. Even [read: especially] yourself. Life was meant to be simple, so stop complicating it so much!
• Nine. The easiest remedy to any problem is dancing in your underwear to any classic song. Step two: cheesecake [approach with caution]
• Ten. Pay it forward: put your act of kindness into the world every day and it’ll catch up to you. Refuse… and, well, karma is a you know what.
• Eleven. Make things special. Spend time on things you care about and put some thought into it. Creativity is a fantastic power. So is a spool of ribbon and some art supplies.
• Twelve. You can’t really be too in love. Simple.
• Thirteen. You love the smell of rain. So stop letting the weather get you down.
• Fourteen. Important life lessons can always be learned from a good movie. Especially if said movie is enhanced with a good watching partner. Or a bowl of ice cream.
• Fifteen. Take good care of yourself. This is basically a free pass to splurge on manicures, good moisturizers, teeth whiteners, and chocolate. Make yourself sparkle.
• Sixteen. Everyone has something beautiful about them. Even if it’s not obvious. I can’t be more certain about this. So find whatever it is that makes everyone you meet wonderful.
• Seventeen. Mistakes will happen. Learn how to deal with their results.
• Eighteen. There can never be too much laughter.
• Nineteen. To be continued...