3 THINGS I WISH I'D KNOWN IN HIGH SCHOOL

I originally wrote this as a featured guest post on A Life In the Fashion Lane, see it here. 

I'm in my 30's now, but in the year 2004 I was graduating high school. Things were a lot different than they are now. Here's what I wish I'd known:

1. YOU WILL BE REMEMBERED, SO BE NICE

Because of social media, you will actually know these people after high school. You'll be able to see what they do with their lives, and you can choose whether or not to keep in touch. When I was a senior in high school, Myspace had JUST come out and I seemed to be the only one who knew about it. I remember being in my marketing class, which was basically a free period in a classroom with computers, and I'd hop on to check my Myspace and my classmates thought I was SO WEIRD. Little did we know that we'd be able to keep in touch for the rest of our lives if we wanted! Everything on the web is there, for good. 

2. NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR OUTFIT, BE YOURSELF

No one is actually keeping tabs on what you're wearing. I can remember spending hours trying to figure out what to wear. WHY? If I could talk to my high school self, I'd say this: Quit dressing for other people, dress for yourself. Wear what you want to wear and what you feel comfortable in. You do YOU. People will respect you for that, and you'll respect yourself. I went through a different style phase each year of high school and always felt unsure about it. Embrace your creativity and uniqueness; be yourself.

3. THINK ABOUT YOUR FUTURE & ACT ON IT

I didn't start thinking about my future until my senior year of high school. I had a slew of self doubt in my abilities, and when my parents mentioned college to me I cringed. More school?! I spent lots of time trying to figure out things I could do without going to college and I was convinced I'd be super successful on my own. But in the end, I got scared and did what my parents told me to do. The college I ended up going to was not the right fit for me, and it kind of set me back a little in finding my way. I'm not saying don't go to college; but take the time to think about your goals and your future. I never did that, and instead just went with the flow because I didn't know what else to do. I was skating by in academics because none of it interested me. Looking back, I should have tried to go to a school with more of a creative concentration, but I didn't know that those existed. It's 2017; there are SO many different and nontraditional schools that one of them is bound to be your ideal learning environment. I worked hard to be where I am today, but I think having clear goals and reaching for the stars would have helped me tremendously.

SHOP MY LOOK:

Scroll through the pics and at the bottom I've linked everything, down to the lipstick! Here are the details...

THE BACKPACK - I live for a good backpack and I think it is a must have for every mama out there. This one was given to me by True Religion, but I really love how funky it is. I've posted some similiar in style, but then I got carried away and found some other cute bookbags that are now on my wishlist (that fringe one?!!)

THE SHOES - These are some of my favorite casual shoes to slip on. They are Nike slip ons and I've linked the exact one for you at the bottom. 

THE JEANS - Take a wild guess. They're my favorite Good Americans!

THE KIMONO - This thing is so cozy and comfortable. It's from Fab'rik, a local boutique in Atlanta. I linked a similiar style, but you can get the EXACT SAME ONE in an olive color HERE. 

SUNNIES - These are from DIFF eyewear. If you haven't gotten on the DIFF train yet, you need to! For every pair bought, they donate a pair of reading glasses to someone in need. Use my CODE 'ASHLEYD25' for 25% off your purchase!