Wear cheap colorful jewelry and wear it quite seriously. Wear expensive jewelry and wear it lightly. If you have diamonds, put them on for every event, such as: washing dishes, reading the news, napping.
Never wear high heels when expected to.
Never wear high heels at all. Wear comfortable shoes. Consider that every event in life calls for your feet to feel good. Your feet are how you connect to the earth; they carry you on all your adventures. Honor your feet by making sure they are supported.
Use every beautiful thing you own as if beauty was an infinitely renewable resource. Save nothing for “later.”
Never go anywhere with any expectation. Treat all outings like you are just going “exploring.”
Meander.
Don’t be afraid of a lot of sleep. Sleep resets the brain and delivers you into a slightly new, strange reality. It’s useful for artists to be altered some of the time.
Enthusiasm is one of the most plentiful and valuable natural resources. There should be at least one topic you are irredeemably obsessed with, but preferably more than ten.
Corollary: Don’t fuck with people who repeatedly crush your enthusiasm.
Be a little bit undependable. Even “dreamy.” Otherwise people may think you are staid. It’s good to keep them guessing.
Speak to children as if they have an entire inner life you will never know the richness of.
Whatever your most dramatic feature is, play it up to the nth degree, no matter whether it’s considered a “good” feature or not.
Do not underestimate the power of small treasures such as the things children collect. Pebbles, seashells, plastic animals. Hide your treasures in a special box. Keep other adults away from them.
Cut your hair short at least once. I once cut my hair short out of inspiration from a photo of Ines de la Fressange. I do not look like Ines de la Fressange. It was not a good look. However, growing it out and getting to see my hair at every possible length was worth it, and also I could put my desire to look like Ines de la Fressange to bed.
Do not under any circumstances vote Republican.
Remember that all labor has dignity, and is meaningful and valuable to the world. (Except if you are laboring to give yourself unwarranted power, or to hurt other people. Don’t do that.)
It’s really helpful for your lifelong happiness to have more than one thing that you’re super invested in. It helps if they are wildly divergent. This way whenever you are failing at one thing you can think to yourself, who cares? I’m still great at [other thing].
Make your life a single minded pursuit of beauty. Do not make your life a single minded pursuit of good grades.
You may often find yourself short on time; but in your heart, resist being in a rush.
Be grateful for something every day. It doesn’t matter what it is, just that you actually feel humble gratitude in your heart for it. If you can’t actually feel the sense of gratitude, act as if you do. People are extremely suggestible and in this manner you can stealthily change your own mind.
As soon as you start losing hope for the world, it’s time to avoid your news feed. Listen to funny podcasts instead.
Write letters. Even if your recipients never reply – and understand that not everyone can bring themselves to – they will keep your letters for 20 years and feel great fondness for them.
Occasionally, but not obsequiously, tell a stranger you appreciate their personal style.
Appreciate your body and support it like it was your best, dearest friend.
If you cry frequently, over random things, accept this about yourself.
Pay attention to old people and don’t automatically erase them from your mind’s eye. Someday you will be old too, hopefully.
Whenever you are tempted to be smug, go ahead and be smug, but only in your own head. But then try to think of something generous as well. Hold both ideas in equal measure.
Learn the names of the flowers, trees, insects, and birds that live in your part of the world. They are your neighbors and your relatives. I’ve learned the names of hundreds of flowers and then promptly forgotten again but this doesn’t deter me. I just keep starting over again.
Have a favorite flower.
Consider that it is your remit to fall in love with all things, eventually.
When you have thoughts you would put on social media, consider just writing them down for yourself instead.