What I Wish I Knew At Age 17

Hey 17 year old, don't spend time on people who don't want to spend time on you

Hey 17 year old, call your grandparents

Hey 17 year old, If you get the opportunity to do an international exchange, do it. It'll change your world.

Hey 17 year old, WHATEVER YOU DO DONT GET STUDENT LOANS

Hey 17 year old, Take risks. You’ll never have so much to gain and yet so little to lose. Talk to the girl, take the job, learn the skill.

Hey 17 year old, Find your passion, it may involve college, it may not. Hustle your ass off but remember to make time for fun.

Hey 17 year old, you're parents are a BILLION times better than they seem right now. Their advice may be strict but they always have you in mind. If they are wrong, try to convince them remembering that. They can be your closest allies if you let them be.

Hey 17 year old, You are not your thoughts. They are something you listen to. Think about it, if you are listening to it, who is the you in that situation?

Hey 17 year old, People pay much less attention to you than you think, they're too busy dealing with their own stuff. So there's no need to be embarrassed about yourself. If someone does talk about you behind your back, take it as a compliment: you're interesting!

Hey 17 year old, Your parents used to be cool. They actually do want you to be ok. Be patient with them. They have been through what you are going through. They want it to work out for you.

Hey 17 year old, get a head start with falling in love with exercise now. Find a sport you love and get used to being sweaty. If you're limited by cash/transport use YouTube workout videos at home first so you aren't afraid of looking like a novice in a gym.

Hey 17 year old, Learn one technical skill you are already good at, then learn communication and people skills! When you get into a real job, it's not your technical skills that really matter, it's your ability to communicate with unfamiliar personalities.

Hey 17 year old, Don't forget to have fun. You don't have to spend all your time chasing grades.

Hey 17 year old, You’re probably in an emotionally abusive relationship if you constantly feel like anything you do might set your partner off, without warning, and you won’t know what it was that upset them. Look out for that, buddy.

Hey 17 year old, How to make gf

Hey 17 year old, Realize that your parent(s)/guardian(s) are flawed people too.

Hey 17 year old, Don't take your parents for granted, they might not understand you fully, but growing up isn't just hard for you, it's hard for your parents too.

Hey 17 year old, invest in friendship, as the years pass they are harder to build.

Hey 17 year old, What happened in high school won't matter 5 years from now. Hang in there, and don't feel pressure to be like everyone else.

Hey 17 year old, the future is NOT set in stone. It may feel like you have to decide the rest of your life right now, but you can always change your path.

Hey 17 year old, try to find a mental hobby and a physical hobby. Having both keeps your mind and body healthy.

Hey 17 year old, As you look towards graduation from high school, realize that whatever decision you make doesn't have to be permanent. Just make a new decision. This doesn't mean it was wrong or bad. It just was. And now you can make a new decision.

Hey 17 year old, smile and laugh more often, even if it's fake

Hey 17 year old, don't go around trying to make everyone happy. Instead, focus on making some people extremely happy!

Hey 17 year old, Love what you are doing right now... because you gonna miss it afterwards but not realise this right now.

Hey 17 year old, When it comes to driving, don't go on roads where you aren't comfortable yet like highways. It's okay to graduate to them eventually when you are comfortable. Be okay turning the radio off if you need to focus, in bad weather.

Hey 17 year old, be calm about your future. Try to make a decision that will make you happy. Don't do something because your parents or someone tells you to do that. Do what you want to do. It's okay to try different things until you find what you really like

Hey 17 year old, Don't look at your phone/computer so much, go after the girls instead. Practice makes perfect!

Hey 17 year old, Go after what you want, trust your gut. If a situation doesn't feel right, get out. Sometimes it just isn't for you.

Hey 17 year old, don't sacrifice your high school experience for the sake of getting into the best college ever.