The following things are what you learnt from 2011, and the recent brothers and sisters of years gone by.

Its okay to forge your own path in the world, and it�s okay to take a selfish approach to your future happiness. The people that love you will always be there for you, even if you have periods of doubt and loneliness, you�re not alone.

At some point everybody has to be let go of, in order to become themselves. That pain you think you�re alone in feeling, is just the separation pangs everyone goes through at one point in their life.

You can�t control other people�s futures, you can�t always protect people from the bad things in life, and you can�t make them understand the things that you�ve come to understand. The best you can do is be there for them, and hope everything will work out okay.

You�re never too old to learn humility, or to ask for forgiveness. When you do something wrong, and you definitely will, it�s okay to feel regret and apologise in the hopes of moving on. Mistakes are okay as long as you learn from them.

At some point, all the people who�ve hurt you in the past will cease to matter. That person who so offends your sensibilities in one moment, won�t even register on your radar in a year or two. Life moves on at a fast pace � don�t dwell on them because they�ve ceased to be worth it.

Friends are important. When you feel like you don�t have any, you�re probably just feeling sorry for yourself. And if you want more, it�s never a hard thing to accomplish. Just smile and be yourself. Be kind, be funny and be accommodating.

Family is a pain, but a necessary one. They�ll drive you crazy, they�ll make you angry and they�ll break your heart. But they�re your family; you grew up with them loving you and shaping you, and when the world falls apart they�ll still be there, consistently causing you grief. In the words of Beastly � �embrace the suck.�

You are not defined by your family in any way. You are not doomed to repeat the failures of your parents or grandparents�in fact; you�re hardly like them at all really. There are similarities of course, but you will always be you. And for those reasons, never be ashamed of where you come from.

Love�love is complicated. You can pretend all you want that you�re not open to love, but you are. You want to be loved just as much as the next person. Dwelling on it, or pretending not to, won�t make it go away. Accept it will happen when the time is right, and enjoy life as it stands, knowing that when it happens, you�ll be more adjusted than you�ve ever been before.

Christmas and your birthday will always be as special as you are willing to make them. If other people choose to merge them for you, then embrace that too. Its human nature to selfishly want your day to be unique, but the reality of life is that this day is only going to mean a lot to you. If someone gives you a card that says �Merry Birthday�, joint presents or wraps your birthday present in Christmas paper and sticks it under the tree�just get on with it. At least they remembered it was your birthday, and at least you�re alive to see another year. Love the days as your own and other people will come to do the same.

You�ll never stop learning. You�ll constantly be discovering things you didn�t know, the tiniest of things that improve your intelligence in minute ways or make the picture just that little bit clearer. But that�s okay; life would be boring if there was nothing left to learn.

You are a good writer. You�ve proven that to yourself and you�ve shown you can be dedicated, and plug your whole heart and soul into building a fictional world. You may never publish your work, but you�ll never stop hoping that the day will come when you do.

You sometimes say hateful things, and you�re a very stubborn and proud person. This can be intimidating, and you don�t often realise that�s how you can appear to others. Stop and take a breath before you say what�s on your mind � your words can cut deeper than knives. The chances are you�ll regret it, and if you take some time to yourself, you�ll realise its better left unsaid. Also, when people upset you, majority of the time they don�t know they�ve done so because you insist on being so tight lipped. Speak up every now and again, it won�t hurt.

If you feel like you�re in isolation with nothing to do, or if you find yourself dwelling in darkness, remember that there�s always a way of bringing light back into your life. Sometimes it�s as simple as a phone call or a walk outside, other times more drastic measures apply; but the world is full of beautiful things and they�re just waiting for you to discover them.

People have busy lives. A forgotten phone call or a cancelled visit�none of it means you�re any less valued. Accept this, and you�ll move through life a lot easier.

The things you dislike, or find disagreeable, are not necessarily bad. Your judgment is sound for yourself, but the same won�t apply to others. Don�t discount other people�s opinions, don�t be disappointed in gifts you would not pick for yourself and most importantly, don�t express displeasure for something someone else values.

You�re lucky. You have a knack for falling on your feet, no matter how hard your drop was. Don�t stop remembering that things will be okay in the end � they always are.

You�re sensitive, and it�s okay. You don�t have to keep pretending that you�re tough. People know you can weather storms, you�ve proven it time and time again. You�re not fooling anyone really. You cry at all the sad things and you instantly feel bad when you do something you shouldn�t. It just means you have a conscience, and it�s a very active one. It doesn�t make you a lesser person.

You enjoy university, so don�t ever give it up. Even if it puts you in positions that frighten you, or stretch your comfort limits, it�s good for you. Stop worrying about being a perfectionist, stop worrying about how others perceive you, and stop worrying about your grades. Everything will fall together because you�re not stupid, and you love learning new things. You won�t always be good at everything, but you�ll learn what you are good at and you�ll get better at it.

Respect your own personal limits on human interaction. You can spend all the time in the world with other people, but remember that you need a little of your own space too, you always have. And not just when you sleep; work a bit of relaxed �you� time into every day and you�ll be that much happier.

People aren�t perfect. Even the ones that look like super stars in pictures, or get fantastic grades � if you look closely enough, everybody has flaws. Don�t be afraid of your own.

Don�t drink coffee after 5pm; you turn into an energiser bunny that doesn�t know how to switch off. Just don�t.

Don�t get so drunk that people start to worry. You might know you�ll be fine, but others don�t and it�s not fair on them. Limit your intake. You don�t have to be completely sloshed to enjoy a party.

You enjoy cooking. Contrary to what you would have your family believe, you do actually like it. So do it more and do it properly � it doesn�t mean you�re a house wife in training.

The same goes for flowery skirts, tights and satin slippers. Admitting you like pretty and girly things, and don�t always want to live in converse and jeans is not the end of the world.

Tastes adapt with age. Or maybe they become clearer? You like vibrant colours, and the unusual. Don�t ever be afraid to wear something that looks quirky. If you wanna wear bright red shoes, you wear them. If you wanna wear a vibrant orange jumper, then do it. It�s just who you are.

You�re happier when you have a pet. It�s weird, I know, but you feel like a place is home when you have a pet to go back to. So, if you have to, promise all sorts of things to make sure you can get a kitten next year.

Find other ways to cure your boredom than visiting housemates. You see them all the time anyway, and there�s so much more you could be doing with your time. Don�t take the easy route.

Be careful with your money. When you don�t have any it sucks, and you know this. Portion it out carefully. It�s okay to have a little splurge every now and then, but not all the time. Buy what you need, and then limit yourself to things you really, really want.

Challenge yourself to save. If you can save up for a month abroad this summer, then you can save for a year-long trip at the end of your degree. It�s gotta start somewhere, and you can do it. The reward for working hard doesn�t have to be big splurges; it can be something you�ve been wanting to do for a lifetime. Be patient.

Stop feeling like you�re owed something by the world. It�s this ingrained thought we all get, but it�s not true. The past is really the past, and the present and future are so much better. No one can be made to make up for anything, so you should just do your best to forget about it, or forgive it.

Read more, and read everything. Nothing opens your eyes more.

People like surprising you, and you love it. So make sure you remember to surprise them back too. Sometimes, making someone else happy, even for the briefest moment, is the best feeling in the world.

Take care of yourself. Sleep properly, eat healthily and exercise. Wear facemasks and deep condition your hair. You always feel better having done so.

You�re never too old to do something silly. If you feel like it, then go for it.

Try not to judge people too harshly. First impressions aren�t always accurate. Take the time to get to know someone before you decide whether they�re worth it.

If you don�t like something, speak up about it. Nothing bad is going to happen to you, and you have a right to express your opinion.

Lastly, there�s a phrase people often use when describing you, whether they�ve known you most of your life or for only a little while, and I want you to remember it and cherish it. It�s one of the best compliments you could wish for.
�There�s something about you. I don�t know what it is, I honestly couldn�t tell you, but there�s something about you that makes me like you.�

You�re going into 2012 homeless and alone � only you�re never really alone, and your home will always be wherever you are.

You�re crazy complicated, and so very far from perfection, but I love you. I love you.
Rach Xx