Dear Younger Self, I wish you knew this..
Dear Younger Self, I wish you knew this..
- That I love you
- That I don’t expect you to be perfect
- That you are amazing
- That you have so much to offer
I love you enough to tell you this..
- It doesn’t matter how old you are
- It doesn’t matter where you are
- It doesn’t matter how much money you have
- YOU ARE ENOUGH!
- YOUR DREAMS ARE IMPORTANT > DON’T GIVE UP
- DON’T PLAY SMALL > DON’T SETTLE
What advice would YOU give to your younger self?
Instead of beating yourself up about all:
- the choices you wish you’d made differently
- the mistakes you berate yourself for making and
- the failures (that were inevitable and part of learning and growing, but that you just can’t get past)…
… instead of all that, can you please be gentle, kind and compassionate, even forgiving, towards your younger self? Can you cut her some slack and consider the lessons she’s helped you learn, the paths she’s helped you blaze, the life she’s helped you create?
Ya, ok, I get it, maybe you think she could’ve done a better job*, maybe your life isn’t quite what you’d hoped or dreamed it could be. But it’s not over yet right? There are still all kinds of opportunities and options available! No matter where you are or how old you are, or how much money you have. THE CHOICE, as always, COMES DOWN to YOU…
(Frick.. Don’t we all just hate being reminded of that? It’s always so much easier to blame ‘fate’ than to admit we have choices..)
As much as we moan & complain about the hand that’s been dealt us, we know.. We Do Know that we have choices. But doing anything other than the drudging habits we’ve lazily gotten stuck in ..?? That just feels too daunting, too exhausting, and it would take much too much effort to figure out, let alone start doing.. yet, consider this..
if you keep doing the same thing, you will keep getting the same results
You might be full of frustration and resentment for all the time you’ve ‘wasted’ looking after others, studying, working and paying bills. There never seems to be any time left to catch your breath, to relax, and choose anything for yourself. There’s a crap load of guilt just waiting for you to claim when you choose to put yourself first. There’s an inner critic pouncing all over you with accusations of “selfishness” and “irresponsibility” when you point your thoughts in the general direction of your dreams. But I’m here to tell you… IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.
You can still use the advice NOW that you wish your younger self had been given (or had listened to).
You know yourself better now than ever before! Now is the perfect time to get honest with yourself and decide on what comes next. You will never be younger than you are right now. What are you waiting for? Your Future YOU is wondering!!
So.. what advice would you give your younger self that you could start using today to change your future?
Let’s consider what choices you have?
- You choose how, and with whom, you live each hour of each day.
- You choose how to react to what crosses your path.
- You choose how to spend your time and energy.
- You choose how to receive all that is available to you.
- You choose how to see the world around you.
It can be very scary when you start to realize the big, wide-open world of options available to you. It’s extremely tempting to stay in your familiar little cocoon of ‘good enough’. You sit there trying to convince yourself you’re happy & ok, repeating that story you’ve made up - you know the one, where your life right now is as good as it gets and it’s time to let go of your daydreams?
Well listen up! Your future self is reaching back to kick your ass into gear.
Get it together woman! Grab those dreams by the tail. You are not going to disappoint her. You are not going to look back with any more regrets. The choices are yours to make.
So, how the hell are you supposed to figure out which is the right path?
I’ll admit, it takes a bit of inside work and self-reflection to get reacquainted with your dreams, but it is soooo worth it! Imagine when you’re 89 - what stories do you want to share about your life and adventures? I am here to help you sort through the fog and find the dreams you had before you talked yourself out of them. You can start right here!
What advice would you give your younger self? Sit down. Write it out. Read it again.
That’s some great wisdom! And you know what? You’ll never be any younger than you are right now.. so start taking your own advice NOW! It’s NOT too late!
Your future self is so damn proud of you! She’s rooting for you. She knows you’ll choose well. She can’t wait to watch you blossom.
I’m rooting for you too Sister. I can help you get there quicker. Let’s work together to build an exciting future for you.
xo Deena
p.s. In case you’re curious - this pic is of me with my Oma & brother, Steven. Both have been gone for many years. It’ll be 17 years on Nov. 19th since we lost Steven, and Oma has been gone for 30+ years. Memories of them, and their loss, are a constant reminder that there are no guarantees on how much time I have to live my life as fully as possible.
*There’s a comedy/drama series called “Being Erica” that I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Erica, the main character has the opportunity to ‘re-do’ things in her past she wishes she could change. It’s incredibly enlightening to follow her adventures when she goes back in time to those experiences. There is so much we can all relate to.
She better understands how she made the choices she did at the time, and how changing them now would alter her future in unexpected ways. She finds compassion for her younger self and makes peace with how things turned out.
It’s something I’d highly recommend watching together with the younger generation > pre-teens & teens, male & female. Seeing this show from the perspective of someone younger who’s about to live these types of experiences, and sharing that with someone older who would like to go back, is a golden opportunity to open some very meaningful conversations.
I found the show again now on YouTube. 👉 Season 1, Episode 1 is here.
