Camila Cabello Turns 22, Gifts Fans With a List of Life Lessons on Her Birthday

Camila Cabello celebrated her 22nd birthday Sunday (March 3) by giving something valuable to her fans: a list of 22 things she’s learned about life in the past year.

Among the “Havana” hitmaker’s generous amount of advice at the age pal and former tourmate Taylor Swift has described as “miserable and magical” (“22”): call your parents, pick up a book, get a good night’s sleep, don’t get too wrapped up in the pretense of social media, put on one of your favorite Disney movies when you’re feeling down — and always look for the silver lining.

“In most situations you’ll realize: ‘Nothing is good or bad. Only thinking makes it so,'” Cabello wrote. “Look for the bad in the situation and you’ll find it, look for the good in the same situation and you’ll also find it. If being this way doesn’t come naturally to you, you have to literally make a conscious effort/train your brain to find the opportunity in every sucky situation, it’ll change your life overnight.”

Her letter also hinted at what she’s discovered while in a relationship with boyfriend Matthew Hussey, whom she’s been dating for over a year: “No feeling compares to falling in love,” she said. “It makes sense — all the movies, the stories, the songs. It IS the most intoxicating, consuming feeling that exists. Even when other things are just as important, I don’t think any feeling compares to the intensity of it.”

“Life is too short to hang out with people you don’t like, be in relationships with people that don’t make you happy, or do things you hate. I think fear is actually an important feeling. You should be afraid of wasting time,” Cabello said.

She went on to suggest that making time to read and to establish a solid sleep routine can do wonders.

“Find time to read and I promise you you’ll fall in love with it. Reading is our only way to live 100 lives in one,” Cabello said.

On the topic of sleep, she offered: “I used to go to sleep at like 3AM and wake up at 1PM, and even though it can definitely be really fun, I always felt like my days went by so fast and it would put me in a sad sort of funk. I try to get up earlier and earlier now and the day is completely different, the days feel so much longer now in a good way, like I can experience so much more in the 24 hours I have.”

Although Cabello’s candid letter was shared on Twitter and Instagram, the singer reminded her followers that not everything that makes its way to social media is genuine — or, at the very least, it doesn’t show the full picture of someone’ life.

“Don’t compare yourself to people on social media,” she said. “Everyone is just putting on a show here. I’d say social media is the pristine, shareable, 3% of what actually happens in my real life.”

Check out her full note for more advice, plus a fun birthday video clip. below.