New Person... who dis?

     It seems to me that every single day when I look at my Facebook "Memories", I cringe looking at the awful statuses I may have posted five years ago. I'm horrified how stupid I was. It's very easy for me to sit back and judge myself for who I was years ago, but honestly, that person no longer exists. It's weird because I never had a funeral for him, and I never told him goodbye, in fact, I never even missed him. When I look back, I'm very happy that I have transformed into a better, more mature person.

     What's the point of all this? The point is that there are several things that I now remember that I did to make myself a better person. You may not agree with all of them, but all of them are beneficial, and most of them will help you no matter who you are.

     1. Have self-respect. You may be thinking right now how much self respect you have, but I remember as a young teenager having long, curly, Shirley Temple like hair, damaged by dyes, bleaches, and straighteners (all teenage guys try this, right?). I remember piercing my ear at my friends house because my mom wouldn't let me, and I was able to hide it for so long because I looked like Tim Allen in Shaggy Dog.
     Another thing about self-respect: learn to speak. I'm from Arkansas. Most of us flunk grammar, and if you are the grammar nazi, you can probably find several errors to this point. However, a basic understanding doesn't hurt. Also, expand your vocabulary. Trust me. You may think your girlfriend likes to be called 'awesome', but trust me. She doesn't. Part of this includes knowing how to type. When you get a text, how many of you tlk jst lk diz or use piles upon piles of acronyms? Stop it. 2005 ended, and with it, so did MySpace. You may think a simple text or email is insignificant, but impressions matter. Once again, trust me.
     If this isn't you, modify, modify, modify. You don't have to forsake everything you are, but find a style that is more respectable while still fitting your taste. And if you try something new, it grows on you. My bangs once touched my chin, now I get a haircut once a month.

     2. Have respect for others. This doesn't just mean greeting the man at the gas station with a "Howdy doody!" but going out of your way to show kindness in the world. It doesn't matter what you're going through, it gets better, even just for a moment when you see that smiling old lady. This takes up less than half a second of your time usually, so it will not kill you. This helps you get known as respectful, and in turn will earn you respect and multiple opportunities.

     3. Have faith in God. He's gonna work it out. You may be angry with him, but he knows what he's doing. Trust him.

     4. Make goals for yourself. Always plan to be better tomorrow than you are today. If you aren't reaching your goals, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to reach them soon. You can't make up lost time, and you'll feel the guilt of losing an opportunity. You'll never get it back.

     5. Finally, education. Not just education, but lifelong learning. Try to learn from everything. Your mistakes. Others' mistakes. Books, shows, videos, songs, classes, college, traffic. Literally everything. Make it a learning experience. Don't let people consider you dumb. Keep your eyes and ears open and be ready to work.

     The main point here to sum up all five points into one: DON'T BE LAZY!!