Maya Kachroo-Levine

If I could chart out the five biggest things I want out of life, what would they be?

Your failures. The amount of effort you put forth speaks to your ethic and ability to care. The end result matters less than your actions.

I invited her out with us one night, and we spent our night — from like 9 PM to 5 in the morning — out drinking, dancing, and just getting closer. She came back with us, and the most surprising part was she knew exactly what she was doing. It wasn’t her first time, and she took control.

Which one of your friends did they have a huge crush on?

Took a few really awesome road trips. I worked three jobs after college (so if you assume people who didn’t go full-time right out of school are lazy, you’re mistaken), but it’s a lot easier to take a random Monday off when you’re working mainly in the service industry.

Give yourself permission to approve your own actions, instead of asking someone else for validation.

“I have a really hard time with my anxiety when everyone around me is sick, because I’m a bit of a hypochondriac. On the one hand, I don’t want to show people how freaked out I am that they’ll make me sick, but I also sometimes can’t help it.”

“I gave the bride her something borrowed. But I didn’t tell her it was from my marriage that didn’t work out…”

You shouldn’t have to convince someone to want you. You shouldn’t have to settle for “almost” when you want a “yes.” You shouldn’t have to be all-in, when someone else is still on the fence. You don’t want to be stuck in love-adjacent limbo when you could have the real thing.

Be hungry for love, but don’t be thirsty about it. In short: get into a relationship because you want to be with that one person, and not just because you want to be in any relationship.

Stop ignoring social invitations because you’re in a funk and aren’t really feeling up to going out. (Start planning for fun things in advance so that you can’t give a last-minute excuse and back out.)

The “one” isn’t waiting for you with the glass slipper that fits you perfectly. The one is someone you choose, because you know when you’re with them, that’s exactly where you want to be.

If you don’t, you will stay hung up on this feeling; you’ll remain in this sentimental limbo, playing “should I, or should I not” with yourself, and you have better things to do with your time than become a slave to your inner monologue.

“This is probably not only the worst thing I’ve done in my career, it’s also the worst thing I’ve ever done in my life. I (very lightly) spiked one of the kids’ sprites. I just threw in the tiniest bit of vodka, because it’s odorless.”

Presence. We want you to be listening when we’re talking, and we will return the favor every time. We want you to be in the moment as much as possible, instead of constantly hooked up to your phone, computer, etc.

Stop obsessing over your college almost-relationships. (Start moving on to bigger and better things — and people.)

Getting out of the wrong relationship. We throw bridal showers and baby showers, but we don’t throw parties for the women who are strong enough to walk out on the partners who aren’t right for them, or the SOs you don’t treat them well enough. And we really should.

“And there’s one area where Donald’s experience could be invaluable, and that’s closing Guantanamo. Because Trump knows a thing or two about running waterfront properties into the ground.”