17 Things I Knew at 17

Choosing this post’s picture was slightly overwhelming because of all the incredible people in my life, but when I thought of Tess it seemed so obvious. This girl has been such a blessing this past year (and over the years), and she constantly makes me a better version of myself. She reminds me to smile, to work my butt off, to love everyone, and stay humble and kind. I love you a whole lot, T Money.

So, it’s been a while since my last post. Life very much took over these past couple months, and between AP exams and getting ready for recital and graduation (!!!!!!), Oh, Hailey had to take a back seat for a while. But, I’m back and I’m ready to share a post with you that was supposed to be posted the day before I turned 18. Whoops.

Anyway, done in true senioritis-inspired fashion, here is a two-week late post about what I’ve learned in my seventeen years on this earth.

1. I can do anything, just not everything.

2. My time is too precious to spend with people that don’t make me over the moon happy. Furthermore, if someone wants to be in my life, they will make that happen. No exceptions.

3. There’s probably a Taylor Swift song for whatever I’m feeling.

4. Just because everyone else thinks they know what’s best for me doesn’t mean they’re right!!! Don’t get me wrong, my friends and family have infinite wisdom and want the best for me, but I cannot force myself to feel something or think something because of what everyone else is telling me.

5. I am so not defined by my grades, or my intelligence in general. Class rank, GPA, ACT score, whatever, measures one very small part of my intelligence and my ACT score doesn’t make me more or less than anyone else.

6. Someone can care about you and not love you.

7. There truly is no place like Nebraska.

8. God has given me the absolute best people in this world!!! They love me so well!!

9. If things are hard and confusing, just go to bed.

10. Distance and time really don’t mean anything when it comes to true and genuine friendships.

11. Just love the crap out of people, even if they don’t love you back. I’ve learned to love recklessly, because even if it ends in heartbreak, that’s better than regret. You never know who may have needed that love.

12. Just do what your parents ask you to.

13. Dance is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and it has brought nothing but the best lessons and people in my life. I would do it all again in a second, and I would change nothing but maybe working that much harder.

14. There’s a difference between knowing your weaknesses and dwelling on them. Avoid the latter.

15. Jesus wants to shape my life. I need to let Him.

16. There is NOTHING wrong with loving yourself. You are not cocky or arrogant or self-centered if you love how you look or you’re proud of your accomplishments. Never feel like you can’t love yourself.

17. I am not too much. I am not too loud or too confident or too bossy or too driven or too weird. I am beautifully and wonderfully made and I should never, ever feel like I have to tone down who I am.

This past year has been such a great and important and wonderful year for me.  Naturally, there were some lows, but there were so many more amazing and great highs! I have all the wonderful people in my life to thank for this fab year. I have a wonderful God who never left me when I strayed, and who continued to pour so many blessings on to me that I do not deserve.  I am so excited to see what year 18 brings!!!!

‘I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.’ // Galatians 2:20

#highschool #relationships #excitement #dance #May2015 #family #graduation #lessonslearned