75 Things Life Is Way Too Short For

1. Not getting dessert. Eat the cupcake if you want it. Buy yourself a cookie if you’re craving it. These things do not need to be justified — just enjoyed.

2. Not wearing what you want because “only certain body types can pull of that look.”

3. Getting in a relationship for the wrong reasons.

4. Staying in a relationship that no longer serves you both. (Feeling like you need to go is enough, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise).

5. Breaking up with someone because your friends disapprove of them.

6. Ordering the same thing every time.

7. Cheap tequila.

8. Fighting with grandma about this year’s politically incorrect comments at the Thanksgiving table.

9. Not speaking your mind when doing so would actually be beneficial and not just catty.

10. Not trying anything once if presented the opportunity.

11. Not giving something a second chance.

12. Following the fashion trend du jour if it doesn’t speak to you.

13. Making choices based on what other people will think of them.

14. Not wearing your favorite outfit because you don’t want to be “over-dressed.”

15. Wearing heels when you really want to wear flats.

16. Doing hot yoga if you really hate hot yoga.

17. Not doing your research.

18. But also, ignoring your gut reaction.

19. Waiting for the other person to send the first message.

20. Waiting a requisite number of minutes (or days) to send a reply.

21. Not treating your friends to dinner every now and again.

22. Consistently putting routine chores off and being left with bigger messes and overdue this-and-that.

23. Plastic cutlery. Invest in real forks.

24. Not setting aside time to call your parents.

25. Not speaking up when you feel that something is wrong.

26. Being an “adult” all the time.

27. Not learning to genuinely apologize when you realize you’re in the wrong.

28. Apologizing as the pre-emptive, “I’m sorry to bother you, but…” when you’re asking for a favor.

29. Not using spell check.

30. Ignoring your feelings.

31. Not facing your fears.

32. Feeling like you don’t deserve to have dreams.

33. Not making your dreams happen, or at the very least, facilitating an environment in which they can grow.

34. Spending money on things to impress other people.

35. Feeling the need to self-identify with any one demographic if it’s not genuine to who you are.

36. Starting books you know you’re going to hate but you’re reading for status or to impress somebody else.

37. Only messaging “hi” as the opening line on an online dating site, or really, to anyone, ever.

38. Continuing with a television show that’s gone way downhill just because you started watching it from the first season.

39. Movie reboots.

40. Not tipping a little more than necessary, especially for great service. (If you can swing it, it would really make someone’s day).

41. Not going to the beach out of fear of what other people will think or say about your body. (Pro tip: people who make fun of other people’s appearances aren’t people you should take too seriously).

42. Worrying about cellulite, thigh gap, bikini bridges, or any other made-up signs that your body is somehow lacking. (It isn’t.)

43. Googling everything on WebMD when you know it’s going to send you into an “omg what if I have the bubonic plague” tailspin.

44. Regretting things that other people have likely already forgotten about.

45. Not learning from the things you genuinely do regret.

46. Getting into fights in the Youtube comments section, or really any comment section, because there’s more to do in life than sit on your computer and argue with faceless strangers over arbitrary things. If you want to be heard, write an article yourself.

47. Using Instagram as an online dating site.

48. Not rocking out to your favorite music because other people don’t think it’s cool.

49. Worse: lying about your favorite kind of music just because it’s not “cool.”

50. Not visiting home just because every once in a while.

51. Not taking your vacation days.

52. Having your phone glued to your hand at every second.

53. Keeping toxic people in your life just because they’re all you know.

54. Worrying about how many “likes” something got, or holding any other other means of fabricated self-worth.

55. Not saying “hi” to that cute person across the bar just because they seem “out of your league.”

56. Believing in leagues.

57. Being afraid to say “I love you” first.

58. Being afraid to ask for what you want in bed.

59. Being afraid to ask for what you need in a relationship.

60. Feeling guilty for eating dessert before dinner if you feel like it.

61. Not seeking help when you need it, just because you’re afraid of what people might say.

62. Little white lies.

63. Not being kind, even while you’re being honest.

64. Needlessly ragging on stuff you dislike just for the sake of a laugh.

65. Burning bridges just because you can.

66. But also, keeping every door open, especially if you know one will absolutely never serve you.

67. Saying yes to absolutely everything.

68. Feeling guilty for taking a day to do absolutely nothing.

69. Following a life path that doesn’t feel authentic to you.

70. Indulging people who only come out of the woodwork when they know they can use you as a connection for their own personal gain.

71. Chasing the approval of other people, rather than your own self-fulfillment.

72. Not going for that third slice of pizza.

73. Listening to other people’s comments when you decide to order a salad.

74. Holding grudges.

75. Not extending love to as many people as you possibly can — and especially, to yourself.