Being a teenage girl means: Looking as hot as hell to just walk the dog, listening to your iPod while you dance in your underwear, randomly singing your favorite song, sleeping until 2pm, giving makeovers to all your friends, tanning on the roof, waving to people out of the sun-roof of your car, buying jewelry you will never wear from Claire’s, saying girly words all the time (like omg and whatever!), wearing short skirts, pushing your best friend into the pool, screaming “you’re hott!” out the car window to a boy, taking pictures with all your friends, jumping on your bed while talking on the phone, staying up all night just to regret it the next day, stalking a hot guy at the mall with your friends, taking a story and turning it into some huge scene.

Sometimes you look at someone and if you know them well enough, like really know them, you can be sure to guess what they’ll do before they do it. You may not understand why, may not ever understand it, but you don’t need to know the whys and the hows of things. Sometimes you only need to stop them.

There is an inner beauty about a woman who believes in herself. Who knows she’s capable of anything she puts her mind to. There’s a beauty in the strength and determination of a woman who follows her own path. Who isn’t thrown off by obstacles along the way. There’s a beauty about a woman whose confidence comes from experiences. Who knows she can fall, pick herself up, and go on.

It is completely normal to fear failure, to fear rejection, to fear the future, but it should never stop you from accomplishing a dream, making a friend, or confessing your love. Nothing is for certain and anything can happen. Isn’t that what makes life exciting? Not knowing what will happen next and even though people will tell you it is impossible, will point and laugh at your ways, and will crush your heart over and over again, you will continue to chase your dreams, make as many friends as possible, and pray that when you do find that special someone, they will blush for a moment, twiddle their thumbs, and look into your eyes and say, “I love you too.”

There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.

There are millions of people out there. But in the end, it all comes down to one. I still panic sometimes, forget to breathe. But I know there’s something beautiful in all my imperfections. A beauty in which he held out for me to see, a strength that can never be taken away. I remember the day we met. His smile, his touch. You can be anywhere when your life begins. When the future opens up in front of you, you may not even realize it at first but it’s already happening.

I woke up one day to find you’d taken me by surprise; that you’d built a home in the base of my heart and your laugh was an echo filling all the corners of my head. I woke up one day to find that things made sense; that you were where goodness began and ended and that I was happier than I could ever fathom being. I woke up one day and knew your kiss as a cure; your smell was a luxury and your eyes were a gift. I woke up one day and saw that you had stolen me, and that I was hoping you’d never set me free.

This is failure. It’s that moment when you realize that a choice you made, or something you did, has fully changed the course of your life. But what matters even more than this truth is what you do choose to do once you know it. The tendency may be to curl up in the fetal position and wait for things to improve. But if you can somehow manage to take a breath and look around you, you might just spot another path you hadn’t seen before. It may not be easy to walk, especially the beginning. But all that really matters is that it’s there. [sarah dessen]

I can’t help it. I can’t help caring. I’m forced. I’m too weak to restrain myself from you. I can’t help looking for you in a crowd. I can’t help thinking of you in the middle of night, day, or anytime at all. I can’t help wishing that you would love me. I can’t help waiting until the moment we talk again. I can’t help wanting to be more than just friends. I can’t help the way I love you.. although I wish I could. Sometimes I just wonder why I love you the way I do; but I don’t have a reason. I just simply fell in love with you.

You know, the right guy won’t change you. he won’t subtly pressure you. he won’t tell you who you can and can’t talk to about the two of you. he won’t hide the fact that you’re hanging out. he’s not going to tell you you’re wrong for feeling, for being a girl. the right guy will show you off to his friends. he’ll take it as slow as you want. he’ll only go as far as you’re comfortable with. he’ll take you out to places, even if it’s just a fast food place or the store. he’ll actually sit through your stupid girly Disney movies with you because he wants to watch them with you. the right guy will come along someday. you just got to tough it out and wait for him. but whatever you do, don’t settle. you deserve so much more.