you get defensive easily. you've been hurt and you never want to be tricked or caught off-guard again. you are always watching for the signs that you were right all along, and you never let yourself be happy for fear of it backfiring when you're betrayed. not everyone is out to get you! take it easy and you'll find that when you don't fight back, most of the time, there's nothing to fight over

people don't really care that much so don't worry about doing what you want, nevertheless it's not their business anyway.

try not to compare yourself to others, it’ll only make you frustrated. focus on your own goals and your own happiness instead; the only person you should compare yourself to is yourself.

when self-doubt starts to tremble down your spine just remember this; you’ve made it this far. remember all of the obstacles you’ve run into and conquered, remember all of the battles you’ve fought and won, remember all of the fears you’ve faced and overcome.

loneliness is the human condition. cultivate it. the way it tunnels into you allows your soul room to grow. don't expect to outgrow loneliness or to find people who will understand you. an intelligent, sensitive person is the very great exception. the best you'll ever do is to understand yourself.

it’s perfectly okay to make mistakes. it’s okay not to be perfect all the time. you’re only human. you learn from your mistakes and you live on.

please don’t beat yourself up. there’s no need for you to be so hard on yourself. you’re a work in progress and progress takes time. take a deep breath and take it one step at a time, you’ll get there little by little.

when you’re struggling don’t think of yourself as a burden to others. it’s okay, take a deep breath - you’re only human. everyone struggles. sometimes we fall apart and it feels like the world is crumbling beneath our feet. during times like these we’re not always pleasant to be around and that’s okay too. no one is easy to be around 24 hours 7 days a week. even though you may be a little difficult at times and do or say things that makes people sad, remember that there’s so much more to you and these things don’t define your worth. you can struggle and still be loved, you can be far from flawless and still be deserving of kindness and care.

your current situation is not your final destination. your current situation does not define who you are as a person; give it time, it gets better.

don't think about what can happen in a month. don't think about what can happen in a year. just focus on the 24 hours in front of you and do what you can to get closer to where you want to be.

the sun will rise in the morning, the stars will shine at night, the rain will eventually come and the snow will fall. no matter how long it takes, things will come.

So what if you don’t feel pretty? You’re not here to look pretty. You’re here to love, to experience things, to create, to learn, to teach, to care, to help, to laugh, to LIVE. Being pretty doesn’t have to be on your list of priorities! What your body looks like will always be secondary to all the things it allows you to do and experience.

new york is 3 hours ahead of california, but that doesn't make california slow. someone gratuated at the age of 22 but waited 5 years before securing a good job. someone became a ceo at 25 and died at 50, while another became a ceo at 50 and lived 90 years. someone is stil single, while someone else got married. obama retired at 55 & trump started at 70 (sadly). everyone in this world works based on their time zone, people around you might seem to be ahead of you, and some might seem to be behind you but everyone is running their own race, in their own time. do not envy them and do not mock them. they are in their time zone and you are in yours. life is about waiting for the right moment to act. so relax. youre not late, youre not early. you are very much on time.