(Ed. Alert: take the following statements with a pinch of salt.)

Nothing in life is too late to learn, except these few things:

1) You will eventually die. – Nothing is certain. Therefore, you should live in a way that makes you happy, instead of letting so much time slip by to only wake up one day full of regrets of not pursuing your callings. Live immediately.

2) Your habits will take over your life. – The chains of our habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken. So, it’s important to start creating healthy ones as soon as possible.

3) People come, people go. – They will drift in and out of your life, almost like characters in favorite book. Make a habit of letting them tell their story, and letting them go. Then, start another book.

4) Don’t lose it for anyone. – Some people wait for you to give them a chance to bust on you. Ignore those people. Don’t talk to those people. Avoid looking at those people. They are here to teach you how to control yourself rightly. You’re worth more than this.

5) You are your greatest asset. – Walk like you love yourself. Talk like you love yourself. Eat like you love yourself. Dress like you love yourself. Invest in yourself. Read. Exercise. The most important relationship in your life is the one you have with yourself.

6) Your mental health is just as important as your physical health. – So, be with someone who is good for your mental health. Meditate. Feed your mind good stuff – No TV, no crappy books, no shitty people, and no dead-end jobs. There is never a refund on a wasted time.

7) The people are fucked. And you, too, are a human. – Don’t trust just anyone. Doubt others, and doubt yourself. Then, re-evaluate your actions and adjust them to better suit your aspirations, dreams, and goals. If you can’t find a leader who inspires you, be the leader you wish you had.

8) Respecting yourself enough to… – Create your life in a way that makes you feel good. A job you don’t like? Life is short - quit. People stepping all over you? Start being unapologetically yourself. Don’t have time to get important things done? Be the first one up. Oh yeah, and please, always use a condom.

9) Freedom is incredibly scary to people. – People have become so comfortable being told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, with whom and why, that they don’t know how to be themselves anymore. That’s why everyone who shows signs of freedom reminds others in what prison they live. Expect prisoners to revolt.

10) Give less fucks. – Stop giving fucks about everything and everyone. That is, about what people are saying about you, about whether that cute boy/girl called you back or not, about whether your socks match or not, or what color your birthday balloon is.

11) You will mostly find interests, not friends. - And people, waiting to stab a knife in your back. Only your family supports you unconditionally (except for when they don’t.) Most everyone will back off when you ask for help, unless they are favored in some way.

If you want a real friend, get a dog.