By Rebecca Harrelson, Staff Writer

Published in print Apr. 22, 2015

• If you want to do something, just do it. If you want to start writing freelance, just do it, and push yourself out in your community.

• Don’t overdraft your bank account just because you need money. Just don’t do it. It hurts more than it helps.

• People are going to put you in a box. Just remember, regardless of the box, you have every power known to man to remove yourself from that box.

• Get into a little trouble, especially if you’re an artist, your work will thank you.

• The slow painful transition into adulthood may suck but one of the only things that help is positivity and good drinks with great friends.

• Try pot. It took me a while to get on this train, but when used in moderation and as a reward for hard work you will be a generally happier, relaxed human being.

• Just because you have two cents doesn’t mean it should be shared.  We all have our judgments of our peers and friends, but if they don’t ask for solutions to their problems then bite your tongue.

• Take all the time possible to fall in love with yourself, and know your worth. Know you don’t need another human being to feel complete. Know the grass is almost always greener on the other side and love comes when you are busy kicking ass in your day-to-day. That doesn’t mean don’t date. That’s how you can learn more about what you want and what you don’t want, but your entire world shouldn’t revolve around a desperate fulfillment, at least not at this point in your life.  Try meditation, volunteer for your city, join groups on campus, flirt, learn your own body, make friendships that will last through the thick and the thin. You’ll thank yourself later. 

• Get out into the world. Netflix and HBO are great, fantastic tools, but when you think back on college and your twenties you don’t want to tell future you that all you did was sit around and watch Netflix all day.

• Make business cards, even just ones with your name and email. Not only will it increase how you view yourself but also once you start getting your feet in the work force it will be the most convenient move to make.

• Don’t let people tell you that if you have tattoos (assuming they aren’t vulgar) that you can’t get a job. Times are changing, and carrying art around with you where you go should never be demonized.

• Be as open minded and inclusive as you possibly can. There are hundreds of revolutions happening outside your window, join or support in any way you can. Realize that judging other people is more of a reflection of you than them. Passing unwarranted judgments will get you nowhere in this new world.

• Read the news, online, text notifications and blogs of credible sources. You owe it to your brain to know more about the world you live in. Ignorance is not bliss, and education is always the right weapon of choice. 

• Go green.  In case you haven’t heard, we are killing our planet, rapidly. Carpool, bike, walk, turn lights off, use less water, start small and educate yourself on our planet and how we can all help.