Some Random Bits of Life Advice (From someone who totally doesn't have it all together ;)

Hey, guys!
So today's post is a little different than normal. I am mainly going to be addressing Christian young ladies, (as far as I am aware that is my main demographic anyway ;). As I mentioned in the title, I totally don't have it figured out. I am not a super Christian. I don't consider myself wiser or holier than you. 

But God has done great things in my life, and has taught me and shaped me over the 10 years I have been following Him. I am still learning every single day, and I hope to continue till the day I die, but here are a few little tidbits I've gleaned so far! These are things that I would VERY much like to tell my younger self if I had 9 or 10 year old Mykaela standing in front of me. Some points are silly, some very serious...my hope is that someone somewhere will get a little something out of it. (I know, that was a lot of "some's" ;) Also, special thanks to Kimberly for inspiring this post with her post on turning 20. :) Also, pretty much every single thing below I am still working on myself. Maybe we can work on them together! :)

So here we go...have a seat, grab a mug of coffee (or tea if you are weird), and chat with me for a while! :)

• Your parents love you a LOT. And they do want what's best for you, no matter what it may seem like to you sometimes. Honor and cherish their wisdom. They aren't perfect, but they are doing their best, and a day will come that your heart will break over all the times you broke theirs.
• Say thank you all the time!! It's becoming a lost art.
• You are not as wise or smart as you think you are. Ever. Please, please do not blurt your opinion dogmatically in front of people, unless it is straight out of Scripture. I promise you, at some point you WILL end up looking like an idiot, and it will be sad. :(

• Save your money. I know that thing looks really awesome, but ask yourself if you will still be using it in a year. (If it's not food obviously, lol!). If the answer is no, it may be a good time to rethink that purchase!
• Try to make at least a few moments of stillness every day. No phone, no computer, no talking...just being still. Take this time to think about Who God is, and to thank Him. It will make your day so much brighter! :)
• Use makeup wisely. You aren't a clown, you are a classy young lady of grace.
• Read good books. Especially history books, they'll come in handy later! ;)
• KNOW HOW TO READ AND WRITE CURSIVE.
• School kind of stinks, but do it quickly and with integrity, and at some point you'll be glad you did it. I'm still waiting for that point to come. :'D (JK! Sort of.)
• You will sometimes fail at things. That doesn't mean you are a horrible person, or even that you are bad at that thing! Get back up and try it again! <3
• Bread is always always always better warm!! If I come to your house and you serve cold dinner rolls, I'm going to ask to use your microwave, or just straight up use it without asking. ;P Warm up that bread basket 3 minutes before you eat, I promise it will be super awesome.
• Little kids have it right...sometimes you just gotta go splash in a mud puddle and go down the slide backwards. Who do you have to impress?!
• Learn to cook...I really need to work on this more myself. (I highly prefer the unhealthy skill of baking. ;P)
• Be. Modest. In dress AND demeanor. A flirt is something you should NEVER stoop to being. Ever.
• Take care of your body, but don't obsess. God has made you perfectly, and seriously EVERYONE has a pooch in front, okay? You are not fat, I promise. Stay active, drink water, and eat wisely, but don't stress over it! It's so much more lovely to see a woman who is confident and has inner beauty shining forth than someone who can fit a size 0 dress with room to spare, but has a rotten outlook or is body-obsessed. (If you are naturally that small, don't take offense, just saying. ;P) Also, I know a lot of guys who would back me up on that. :)
• Speaking of guys, they should not be the highlight of your existence...Christ should be! I know it's hard if you are 13 and you are just discovering this new world of males opening up before you. But really truly, you will have so much time for that later, it's REALLY NOT worth thinking about right now. I cannot stress this enough! If you are not old enough to get married tomorrow, please don't have marriage be your focus!!!!!!!!
• Sometimes you will have more money, sometimes you'll have less. Learn to be frugal, but more than that, learn to be content with wherever God has you financially right now. Hard lesson, but well worth learning. :)
• People don't care as much as you think they do. That sounds weird, but honestly, in 8 years no one at all will remember that embarrassing thing you did...except you. Don't keep cringing over it, it's okay, really. People have too many of their own embarrassing moments to hide from to worry about keeping track of yours. :)
• When in doubt, dress UP, not down. Being the only one in denim at a black tie event would not be a fun experience...best not risk it. ;P
• Don't expect people to notice when you get your hair cut. Don't ask why, this is just something that I have learned, and you just have to accept it. :'D
• Try to notice the little beautiful moments and things in life, because they really aren't little. Suck in those memories, jump into adventures with both feet, cherish the precious times....they won't be here forever. 
• Pearls are pretty much always a good idea. As is lace. :)
• Keep a journal. It doesn't have to be long or detailed, but just write something. It will become an absolute treasure later.
• Print off pictures when you can. I know, I know...in this digital age it seems stupid and outdated to make prints. But really, when your computer crashes and all data is erased, or your hard drive is somehow destroyed, you will be sooo glad you have something!
• Strong perfume is never a good idea. Just don't.
• Love your family!!! Friends come and go, but family is stuck with you forever, and vice versa. ;)
• While friends do come and go, they are brought into your life for a reason. If you discover a friend that sticks with you through thick and thin and encourages you closer to The Lord, keep them!! :) True friends are hard to come by! You will have arguments, but communication, prayer, and forgiveness will go a long way to gluing your friendship together even tighter. 
• Prayer is so important...I don't know how to be more serious with this, but it is the life blood of your walk with God. Don't neglect it!!
• Read God's Word before you touch electronics in the morning. We all need to work on keeping Him first priority!
• Your church family is a GIFT. Treat it as such.

Wow, this got a lot longer than I intended! If you are still reading all the way down here, then THANK YOU for sticking with me! :D What would you add to this list? What stuck out to you the most? Any advice you have for me??? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing from you guys! Have an awesome weekend! :) Love,

Mykaela