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16 Things I Wish I’d Known at 16
As if 16-year-old me would have listened to advice.
1. Process matters more than results. You’ll learn more in the classes you struggle with than in the ones that come easily. Lean into the struggle; that’s where growth happens. Don’t be afraid to be bad at stuff.
2. Stop trying to get to the next thing and enjoy the moment you’re in. There are going to be times in your life where you feel like you’re stuck in a holding pattern. You may be, literally or metaphorically, waiting in an interminable line at the DMV or stuck on the runway waiting to take off. But if you’re always focused on what’s ahead of you, you’ll miss the moment you’re in. Look around. Appreciate where you are. The wait’s going to take the same amount of time either way. See what you can make of it.
3. Sunscreen isn’t just for preventing sunburns and skin cancer. It also prevents normal day-to-day sun damage, which leads to age spots and wrinkles. If you get into the habit of wearing something with a SPF on your face (and the backs of your hands!), you will thank yourself later. Slather it on your tattoos too, once you get some.
4. No one is watching you as closely as you think they are. No one is paying that close attention. This isn’t a bad thing. Let it free you. You don’t need to worry so much about embarrassing yourself or the zit on your chin or tripping up the stairs in front of the person you have a crush on. Everyone is wrapped up in their own stuff most of the time. Don’t sweat it.
5. Your dentist knows you’re lying when you say you floss. You can’t fake it. Honestly it’s a minute out of your day, it’s not that hard, just do it. Flossing prevents gum disease and gum disease is what makes your teeth fall out. I’m not talking cavities, I’m talking dentures. Get into the habit now, and you’ll save yourself a lot of money and pain later (and possibly also your teeth).
6. It’s easier to abstain now than to quit later. You think you’re immortal now, I get it. Your body can handle all manner of abuse and bounce back just fine. But there will come a day when you start to care about not just whether you live to a ripe old age, but how badly you’ll suffer getting there. And if you’ve let unhealthy indulgences calcify into habits, it’s a hell…
