Okay, so here’s what not to do.

In general. In life.

In my opinion.

#1 – do not apologize for who you are. (Including, but not limited to: what you love, who you love, what you think, what you wear, what you weigh, or the fact that you still own a pair of leg warmers. And still wear them. Which I might, or might not, also do.)

#2 – do not stop believing that things can get better. Things can always get better. Always. Always.

#3 – do not forget to floss. Seriously. It really helps.

#4 – do not be shy about speaking up and complimenting someone, no matter what you think they’ll think. If they have a gorgeous necklace on, or fantastic shoes, or a scarf that you adore, or a tattoo that you simply love, please tell them. Please. Because we really do need to be building each other up more.

#5 – do not worry about every single thing. You know you do. I know I do. And we all know that we need to stop doing this. Deep breath. You remember that saying? The cute one with the wisdom that you love but that you never really, really follow? “If it isn’t going to matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes worrying about it.” Yes. That one. Wisdom there. So maybe, just a smidge, start following that?

#6 – do not, not, not, ever go a day without finding something to be grateful for. To be fair, some days you’re going to have to go on the hunt to find something. But there is always something. Hunt for it. Find it. Claim it. Know it. And then, smile maybe?

#7 – do not make eye contact with someone and then not offer up a smile to go along with that. True, the smile might not be returned. And in some cases (rare, but they do happen), you might even get a scowl in return for the effort. But still. Wouldn’t it be a lovelier world if we all did this?

#8 – do not be so hard on yourself. Really. You’re doing the best you can. I know this. You know this. We all know this. Even if some of us won’t ever, ever, ever admit it. Ignore those people.

#9 – do not stop trying to learn better, and do better, and be better.

#10 – and lastly, this…

…do not ever, ever, ever stop believing and knowing that you – just you, and just as you are – are amazing and worthy and beautiful.

‘Cause really?

You are.

~xo,
LuAnne

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“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” (~Maya Angelou)