BuzzFeed asked women in it's community to share life lessons. Lessons they wished they had learned earlier in life:
1. "All of the superficial stuff we all worry about? Don't. It's not worth it, especially as a teen."
"You will move on after high school and see that following trends is just not important, and no one will care what you do. Just be you!" —jennifert68
2. "It is 100% okay to accept a job based only on its monetary value to you (as long as the job doesn't hurt you in the long run). Your job doesn't have to be your purpose. You can find your passion outside of work and do it because you want to, not because you need to. If you're one of the lucky few who can make money by doing what you love, that's awesome! It's just not a reality for most people..." —unabridged81
3. "It’ll be scary, and then it won’t be, and then it will be."
"This cycle is continuous, hold out for the 'won't be' parts." —dontblinktimeywimey
4. "The best dating advice I ever received was from my mom when I was going through a bad breakup: All you’re doing when you’re dating someone is learning about the other person.You are learning qualities that you want or don’t want in a partner. And you get to learn about yourself while doing it."
"Trust your gut. If you notice a red flag,there’s a reason for it. It seems so simple and obvious but hearing it out loud really put things in perspective when I felt like my world was caving in." —daisy121
5. "Find a comfortable pair of shoes and spend money on them. It’s worth it." —helloiamplant
6. "No matter what you do or how much you change, there will always be someone who hates your guts. Just do what is best for you and no one else."
"The ones who matter will be there." —m4616e2cd
7. "Don't let anyone try to tell you that being married with kids isn't aspirational."
"I love my career and make great money, but my fiancé and our future kids will ALWAYS be my priority over any job. That doesn't make me any less of a powerful, intelligent, or courageous woman." —lindsayymarie003
8. "Sometimes being alone is better than being in the wrong company."—34blobfish
9. "It’s not selfish to prioritize yourself. Love yourself, and make decisions that benefit you, not anyone else. You only have to answer to yourself."
"You don't have to answer to anyone else. Don’t be apologetic about it." —ameliay4c3d6da72
10. "If you aren't going to most invites, you'll stop getting invited."—ilikenarwhals
11. "Don’t ever for one second feel superior to other women. One day you WILL feel self-conscious, you WILL have bad skin, and you WILL date the wrong person."
"Don’t let your moronic teen brain think any less of the women who experience those things first, because you’re not better. It just hasn’t happened to you yet." —majestic27