16 candles and reflections // madeline’s bday 2018

hi guys! IT’S MA BIRTHDAY. so i remembered xan doing a post similar to this for her 18th birthday, so i wanted to do something a little similar for my sixteenth! i’m not gonna go into depth about a lot of these, but they should be pretty self explanatory! ~~

 

01. don’t try to force yourself into a box you don’t fit into anymore.

you are always changing, and forcing yourself into a label that isn’t true for you anymore is counterproductive. you are not the same person as you were last week, last month, last year. moving on is ok and natural.

02. phone calls to strangers are hard and annoying, but it gets better.

i know it’s sometimes makes you nervous to call strangers on the phone, but like many things, it gets better with time and practice.

03. in fact, time and practice are essential to improving at most anything.

it definitely will nOT be easy, but it’s effective. *cough* driving *cough*

04. a critique on your work is not an attack on who you are as a person.

hahaha you have a tendency to ~sometimes~ take criticism wayy too seriously because you associate your work with your worth.  know that your worth is separate from your schoolwork.

05. sometimes, you need to take a break, and that’s ok.

you are so bad about knowing when enough is enough, and you need to take a break. work on that. and don’t feel guilty when you ARE taking a break. listen to your body and mind.

this also includes knowing when you need your Introvert Time.

06. and sometimes, you need to cut yourself some slack.

keyword, sometimes. being hard on yourself pushes you to be better and do more, but there is a fine balance you need to achieve.

07. you need AT LEAST eight hours of sleep to be fully functional thank you for coming to this ted talk.

 

08. your (informed) opinion matters, so share it!

 

09. you will never be able to please everyone at any given time.

don’t even try. do what makes you happy, and be independent!

10. do things that make you uncomfortable. that’s when the real growth happens.

growth = discomfort

11. be grateful for your time at home.

boarding school makes you realize all the things you’re missing at home (AKA ALL THE SNUGGLING ON THE COUCH WITH PUPPIES)

12. it is completely alrIGHT to have multiple interests and passions.

school, running, art, design, reading, blogging. TIME MANAGEMENT IS KEY HERE THO because there will never enough hours in the day for everything.

13. obsession is not helpful (or healthy), and it usually leads to burn-out.

balance is the key here, AGAIN.

14. growth is so much better than boredom.

 

15. be open to different possibilities and opportunities.

i know doing and trying new things can be so FREAKING SCARY but being scared and learning from it is so much more beneficial than being bored + not growing.

 

16. at least TRY to live in the moment, not the future, not the past.

 

and that’s all i have. hope that you all are having a wonderful weekend <3 love uuuu

xo,

madeline

(this post can also be found on my own blog, if it seems familiar)