1. Surround yourself with people you love and who love you back. There’s nothing that makes life better than knowing that no matter what you’re up to—be it running for city council, wallowing in unemployment, or even just trying to babysit triplets—there are people who will always support you.
2. Work hard, work smart, and work at what you love. Work can be joyful if you love what you’re doing. Put in effort. Put in care. Do things that make the world better.
3. Breakfast food is the best food.
4. It’s always appropriate to celebrate moments and milestones and the people you share those moments and milestones with. Make a banner or 20. Make a scrapbook. Throw a party that’s really 30 parties at once. Be proud of your accomplishments and the accomplishments of the people around you.
5. Be nice to people.
6. Emotions aren’t a weakness, they’re a strength. Love things whole-heartedly. Care strongly. Be upset, and use your sadness to propel yourself to greater things. Emotions are motivation. Feel them without shame.
7. Treat yo self.
8. Compliment people. Let the people you love know that you love them. Preferably loudly and preferably often. You don’t have to go all “beautiful powerful musk ox” but a little “you’re doing great” can do a world of good.
9. Don’t half ass two things. Whole ass one thing.
10. Change is scary but change is good and change is important and change is necessary sometimes. Moving, new jobs, new relationships—sometimes the fear is worth it. And even if the scary doesn’t pay off, you learn, you assess, you keep going, you do what comes next.

Thank you Parks and Rec, for 7 incredible seasons full of happiness and friendship and waffles. I love you and I like you. Pawnee forever.