also, be a person of ACTION and not just a person of WORDS.
i have trouble with this sometimes, being a writer and all, but it's something that i've been taught to live by, and i think it's the truest thing anyone can be.

don't just SAY you'll be something, just go out and BE it already. you only have so much time here you'll discover

of course, it's a lot easier said than done, and i'm already being hard on myself about it, but when you're young you SHOULD give yourself a little stress because if you don't your future is going to consist of rolling back and forth in molasses and you won't even know why you're doing it but i know why. it's because that's the only way people will be able to make a living in the future