DEAR EVERYONE!!! (Yes, including HNZers. You guys need to hear this too) (sorry it's long, but it's a lot of the stuff I've learned in life squashed into one post. bear with me
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You were made for a reason. Everyone is on this earth for a purpose. You were made to be just like you are. Every little flaw and quirk and perk that you have is intentional and loved. There is always someone who loves you. Even if it seems like there isn't, remember me - I love each and every one of you guys because you make me smile and laugh and cry and roll my eyes and THINK and feel and be. You make me happy and sad, and you make me who I am. I believe in Ubuntu, which is African for "We are who we are because of those around us". I am me because of you, and I love you for being part of my life. So please, do me a couple of favours.
SEE THE GOOD THINGS IN YOURSELF. When you look in the mirror, I want you to say to yourself one good thing. It might be "I have pretty eyes" or "I'm really good at making awesomesauce HNZ characters" or "I'm a good listener". Anything. Work to find it. Make it something that you believe, and that you know is true. And throughout the day, hold on to that thing. If things go badly, remember that you are loved and why. Remember that I'm here in NZ, loving you all and wishing that you saw that. You are beautiful and amazing and intelligent and interesting and kind and wonderful, and no-one can take that away from you. No-one.
SMELL THE ROSES. Appreciate the little things in life, like the autumn colours or seeing the first blossoms of spring or even eating a warm cookie or seeing a friend or coming on HNZ or reading another chapter of a good book or seeing a pretty flower or a cool cloud. Anything. Let that thing remind you that there is always good in the world - if nowhere else, there's always good floating around in HNZ. Things aren't all black - no matter how bad the world may seem, there's always something good.
RESPECT YOURSELF. Don't let others bring you down. Make sure you surround yourself with people who love you and make you happy. People who you love and who will make you a better person, not people who will hurt you and make you think negative things about others or yourself. Also, don't harm yourself - refer to my first point. You are amazing - don't go and damage yourself, because you don't deserve it and it won't help. You know what this means - no emo kid acts, no too-thin model acts, nothing like that. You're too good for that, and don't forget it.
RESPECT OTHERS. Being nice to other people gives you warm fuzzies, and warm fuzzies are never bad. 'Nuff said.
LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST. Follow your dreams, do what you love. Grab opportunities, be brave, take the plunge, and never regret a single day. Make sure that you do things that you can look back on and say "Yeah, I did that, and it was awesome/it wasn't awesome, but I learnt a lesson and I don't regret it".
This is your life - are you who you want to be? If not, become that person. If you think you could be less selfish, work at it. But don't try to become a serious mature person if that's not you. Remember, everyone has flaws - we just have to work at them and appreciate them, for they give us a chance to grow. Life is a beautiful thing, and you never know which day is going to be your last. If the world ended at lunchtime (quoting a poem), would you be happy with your life so far? Would you say "Hey, that's actually a life in which I did things that made me happy/others happy, and I don't regret it"? If not, change that.
RELAX. The world will not end if your assignment isn't perfect, or if you forget something or don't do very well in a test or whatever else. Stuff happens - that's life, so take a deep breath and smile. The sun will rise tomorrow no matter what, and I'll always love you no matter what happens. You are human, and so you're expected to make mistakes, so don't stress yourself out, and take some time off to relax and enjoy life.
NEVER GIVE UP HOPE. Follow your dreams, and believe they will come true. Hope that you'll get an A, that he/she will ask you out, that you'll get a good job or be able to do what you love. Hope is powerful - never give up on it.
Lastly, LOVE LOVE LOVE. Love others. Love yourself. Love your friends. Love your family. Love your God. Fall in and out of love, love animals and objects and people and places, love and be loved in return, but always keep love in your life. We cannot survive without love, so spread it amongst people - showing someone that they are loved can change more than you could possibly imagine.
I leave with one quote, much love and many hugs:
"Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle."
Hannah
tired eyes please get up!
