Today

Thanks heavens for amazing friends on a bad day. Who knew that a simple quote, a compliment in Chinese and finding a good quote would change my mood so quick?

"Difficulties should act as a tonic. They should spur us to greater exertion." ~B.C. Forbes

High School

This might be totally ridiculous, but Mean Girls has so many lessons we can learn from in high school. Cady goes to high school for the first time and tries so hard to impress both sides of people. It ends up hurting her reputation and she basically loses all her friends (well.. until the end, because all movies have a "happily ever after"). Don't we all go through this, to some degree, during high school? We either try so hard and don't get the attention we feel like we want or we just feel alone or weird or anything else.

It's like when Cady says: "Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George's life definitely didn't make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you."

It's true. So. True. Why do we feel like insulting others or putting people down will make us bigger and better? Why can't we just be honest and kind?

I've just been thinking a lot about my time in high school and how much I've changed. High school has be a thrill. So many ups and downs. So many lessons learned and realizations about who I am and what I want. I've learned to trust people with small things - either until they give me a reason to trust them or to not to. People don't really care about you, they're just selfish and want to be on the 'in'. I haven't just learned these things from the bad moments I've had, but mostly the good ones. The amazing people I've been blessed to know. The times that I have deep conversations with my friends and we decide what we want out of life, what we believe, and where will be in 'x' amount of years.

I've learned: 

-Honesty is the best policy. It just is. Sometimes, it hurts... but I'd rather be hurt by the truth than impressed with a lie. I'm sorry if I've ever hurt someone by being too frank. I just can't stand to be lied to and I don't see the purpose in it. 

-Be yourself. I've had so many times in the past six years that I've put on a face or tried to be someone that I'm just not. Sometimes it was bad, and sometimes it just wasn't me. People will like you for you. They may be weird or people you don't expect yourself enjoying, but I promise that they will end up being the most magnificent people. 

-Be happy. Put a smile on our face, it's prettier that way. Plus, I hate to break it to you, a lot of people just don't care and they don't want to hear your complaints. Unfortunately, I am one of those people that sometimes just doesn't care. But, I promise I'll be willing to listen and help if you really need it.

-Other people are meant to be enjoyed. So, enjoy them. Be kind. Accept people for who and what they are. Wouldn't you want that same respect? I sure do. 

-Tell people that they matter to you, if they do. I learned this from Logan. He tells his close friends and family, without a doubt, when he leaves that he loves them. I thought that was weird at first because I used to be weirded out saying "I love you" or "you're important to me," but what if that person thinks otherwise? What if something happened to them from the time you left to the next time you were together? As a girl and a human being, it feels good to know that you're cared about and you're important to others. It feels good to be appreciated. So, appreciate others - their talents, their stories, who they are, their smile, the little things. 

-Have good friends. Surround yourself with people that will hold you up in times of need. People that make you feel happy. People that want you to succeed. People that support you and give you their honest opinions when making decisions. It took me a minute to find those people, but I definitely found them. Abbi Liddell, Hailey Fonda, Austin Lyon, McKel Woodbury, McKenzie Bailey, Logan Wilson, Kaitlyn Williams, Dallin Bristol, Mitch Whitney. My parents. My brothers. 

Life is magnificent, beautiful thing. I am beautiful. I matter. I can and will do great things (*I don't always say this, but I'm feeling good today). I am strong. I won't give up on anything. I will be successful. 

And you wanna know what? So will you. 

xoxo

kylee jean