A few hours before my 22nd birthday, my roommate showed me the video, “How to Age Gracefully” by CDC Radio Wire Tap. Immediately after watching this incredibly powerful video, I was inspired to write this post. So, yes, I’m spending my last hour of being 21 writing to my 21-year-old self. Please watch the video below before reading on.

Dear 21-year-old,

• You are going to spend the first half of this year in the most incredible city in the world. Enjoy every second because you’ll miss Paris every day from that moment on.
• Invest in a Go-Pro. Document everything.
• Stop calculating and logging every little thing in your budget, especially when you’re spending on experiences like traveling or having a nice meal with family/friends. Live a little.
• Stop worrying about not knowing what you want to do. No one knows. As long as you keep moving in a direction, it’ll become clear soon enough.
• Let go of comparisons. Everyone will suddenly feel like they’re lightyears ahead of you. Even so, life’s a marathon and not a race – just keep pushing.
• Talk to your professors. While they may seem intimidating, you’ll be surprised to find how much they care about you. Heck, they might even call you personally on a Friday night to walk you through your first official job application.
• Talk to people in general! Don’t look away and use your phone. A little small talk goes a long way. Throw your ego away and let people in.
• If you’re spending your time studying or working for something that doesn’t excite you, drop it regardless of how much time and effort you have committed to it. Have the courage to follow whatever your instincts are telling you, they somehow already know where you really want to be.
• Stretch your legs before dancing the night away. You’re less fit than you think…

• Still, you’re four-eleven and a half feet tall of pure gorgeousness. Werk.
• Set “chill” level to net zero. Don’t make excuses for any guy #loveyourself
• Shorty, don’t wait. Don’t just sit and wait for opportunities to come, make them come to you.
• APPLY TO EVERYTHING! Even when you don’t feel qualified enough. You’d be surprised to find the opportunities that are available to you if you just try.
• With that said, if you do miss an opportunity (throwback to missing a phone call from Warner Bros.) don’t wallow in self-pity. Take it as a lesson and move on.
• Driving in L.A. sucks. Do NOT trust Google maps. Your 30-minute commute to your internship becomes over an hour-long because of the morning traffic.

• Having a car is pretty awesome though.
• Your family and friends are going to be facing many challenges ahead. Be there for them even if you may feel like they haven’t been there for you.
• You don’t have to always be right. Sometimes, all a friend needs is for you to shut up and listen.
• Be spontaneous. Go on road trips with your college friends even if everything is planned on the last minute and you have to search for a place to crash on the night of Halloween.
• Don’t be afraid to go on adventures alone. Take yourself to the Hozier concert you’ve been dying to see.
• Start a conversation with an old friend you haven’t talked to in years. You’ll pick the friendship up right where you left it off.
• Podcasts are hidden treasures.
• Wine is everything.

• Always be on fleek. You never know when you’re going to be running into Jason Mraz.
• Write letters and take the time to articulate the thoughts of a 21-year-old. They’re all valid – no matter how silly they may sound now. Ten years later, you’ll realize how cool you were (or so I hope).

Because 2015 was a really good year for me, I was afraid of the coming year and its inability to live up to its predecessor. But now I realize the fallacy: I’m only able to positively recall my 21st year because I know that I make it to my 22nd year with all these lessons in tow. I thought being 22-years-old would be scary because, once again, my future looks uncertain. Nonetheless, the video above and this post have helped me realize that you don’t know anything about being x number-years-old until you actually live through it. As the soon-to-be grandma of my friend group, I hope my young padawans will learn a thing or two from this letter. In the meantime, here’s to the miserable and magical moment of turning 22 and not knowing anything. No one does.

Signed,

A 22-year-old