Anyone remember the song "Oh la la" by Rod Stewart that goes "I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger"? For some reason it was stuck in my head the other day, which got me thinking... what would I tell my younger self if I could get a message back to her?
Here are five things I came up with.
1) Some of the things you'll go through are definitely going to suck. You'll make mistakes. Some big ones. You'll face some challenges. You're going to be hurt. But in the end it will all be ok. You're going to learn from all of it and grow as a result. It's going to make you the woman I am now.
2) Stop trying so hard to fit in. You don't have to like what everyone else likes or do what everyone else does. Not everyone is going to like you, no matter how hard you try. You might as well like yourself. (And, by the way, you're pretty damn spectacular.)
3) You're spending so much time worrying about things that don't matter. 99% of the things you're worrying about right now will either never happen, will turn out fine, or won't even matter one way or the other in a couple of years.
4) Travel. Whenever and wherever you can. It doesn't matter if it's an hour or two down the road or across an ocean. Go! Spend the weekends away with your husband. Take the road trips with your sister. When the opportunity comes up for that trip to Japan - take it! Make some memories!
5) Getting older isn't as scary as it seems. In fact, it can actually be pretty great. Being in your teens and 20s is fun. But being in your 50s is so much more fulfilling. Life doesn't end at a certain age. It only ends when you stop getting older. So quit dreading every year that passes and start embracing them. We're having so much fun now!
What would you tell your younger self?
