Dear Twenty-something-year-old Me

Dear Twenty-something-year-old Me,
1. When that man you have a crush on asks, "Are you a good girl or a bad girl?" laugh in his face, spin on your heel and ignore his calls.
2. Sign up for small automatic savings deposits that kick in every time you get paid.
3. Rejection is not a sigh that you should stop doing what you love. It is married to doing what you love.
It should not be kneecapping you. Embrace it.
4. Don't be competitive. Be collaborative.
5. If you have a problem with a valued friend, bite the bullet and talk about it. Don't just disappear on her or him.
6. Tell the truth. People really do sense it when you lie to them, and it makes them distrust you.
7. Reconnect with your gut. I know you were raised to ignore it, and to first please others. The more you listen to your heart, the more you'll avoid self-destructive detours and align with your own satisfying path.
8. Go easier on your mother. Every single thing that annoys and disappoints you about her will be something you recognize in yourself as you get older.
Love,
40-Year-Old Me