i think your twenties are the most introspective period of your life. personally, my twenties have been monumental for me and i have grown in ways i could never have imagined as a teenager. i think teenage me would hate who i have become, and i'm choosing to be proud of that.

here is a running list of things i’ve realized in my twenties:

1. find friends who you trust to be honest with you and listen to their criticisms, especially when it comes to who you choose to date

2. figuring out who you are, what you believe, and who you love is hard and you will not get it right on the first try. it’s okay to change the way you think, feel, and believe as you learn and grow.

3. growth and progress are not linear. you will have days where you feel like the past you is so far behind you and you’ve worked though difficult things. you will also have days where you feel like you’re regressing. just because your journey dips doesn’t mean you haven’t changed.

4. it’s important to take time for yourself, relax, and recharge. it is equally as important to put yourself out there. learning to be comfortable in your own presence is an incredible gift, but to truly thrive you need to be part of something bigger. don’t let yourself fall into cycles of self chosen loneliness. sometimes you need to force yourself to go places, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go.

5. show up for others. follow through when you commit to plans. be the person your friends know will be there.

6. it’s okay to change course. just because you feel like you figured out what you want to do, doesn’t mean that isn’t subject to change. it is not a failure to restart.

7. when someone shows you who they are, believe them. you cannot live your life excusing the way people treat you or hoping it’ll change.