Letter to My Younger Self
We’ve all said it: “I wish I knew then what I know now.”
Write a letter to your younger self. It could be the key to self discovery!
A group of us bloggers decided to run with this idea and write letters to our younger selves. Take a piece of paper and join us. It’s a thought-provoking way to bring insight to your present life as well as gain an illuminating perspective on the past.
Then visit the awesome bloggers listed below who share their letter to their younger selves.
Just so you know, I visualize my younger self as being about 15-years-old. So ready for my letter?
Here we go…
Dear Younger Self,
There is much I want to say to you, but why not let the future slowly reveal itself to you? I don’t want to spoil all the surprises. I’ll just say that much of what will happen will astound you – but in a good way. I promise. Without giving too much away, I will give you 10 sage pieces of advice based on wisdom I’ve slowly gained over the years:
- You were always serious about the Bible and staying close to God, even as a child. Never lose your faith and love for God. It will carry you through life and serve you well.
- Stop being a people-pleaser. This is a personality trait you adapted as a teen and practiced most of your life. Your motivations for pleasing people are noble. I realize you don’t want to disappoint people, sound rude, start a fight, or hurt anyone’s feelings. You just want people to be happy. However, the price for this attribute is way too high. You will never, and I mean NEVER, make everyone happy. Trying to do so only leads to frustration and guilt. People-pleasing not only never works and but also saps your own time, energy, and happiness.
- The saying that perfection is overrated is absolutely true. Making lists all the time, a habit you developed very early in life, is just plain neurotic. As a song from a future Disney movie belts out: “Let it go!”
- You are not dreaming big enough. You will have a career that you should have foreseen by your interests and love for it even when you were very young. However, you did not even consider pursuing this path until you were well into your 20s. But maybe it’s better that way. No worries, you found your passion anyway and went further with it than you ever expected.
- Let go of all those insecurities. Those people that are making you crazy and hurting your feelings right now – they won’t even be in your life later. So who cares?
- Never forget to be grateful. This means appreciating life’s many gifts, acknowledging your blessings, and noticing simple pleasures. Focus on what you have instead of what you want.
- A boy will come into your life way too young. Now, here’s a unique piece of advice for you – and only you – because most of the time this never works. Everyone will advise you not to marry young. But you go ahead. Because that teenage boy who won’t give up on you grows up to be the best husband you could ever imagine. You have many, many happy years together. So quit trying to break up with him.
- You know how you can be really silly, get the giggles, and be playful? As you get older you will have a tendency to be way too serious and lose some of this delightful ability. Fight that impulse.
- Here’s a little juicy tidbit, you will have many adventures and travel around the world. Lucky you! Of course, there will also be challenges, heartbreak, and stressful times ahead of you. However, you are much stronger than you think. You will survive.
- Finally, young Julie, enjoy every single moment of life. Live in the present. Value your loved ones that will travel with you through life. Old people are telling you that life goes by way too fast and you can’t comprehend that right now. But it’s truer than you’ll ever know.
With lots of love,
Your Much Older and Wiser Self
Thanks for stopping by! For more letters to a younger self, visit these #Gr8blogs today:
How a Forgotten Journal Helped Me Move Beyond a Painful Past
Cat shares excerpts from a journal written by her painfully insecure 15-year-old self to Older Darlin’ — the adult she wished to become and hoped she would do proud.
Corrina Holyoake enlightens her little mini-me with plenty of gems of wisdom learned along the way during her colorful and fulfilling life.
Listen to Your Inner Beach Bum, Younger Self
This year, Leigh Shearin turns 50 and reviews her life journey and what she’s learned as a writer of historical fiction that she would share with her younger self.
Letter to My Younger Self
Auden Johnson encourages her 15 year old self to embrace her inner nerd, keep on writing and, above all, never give up hope: “You may not see daylight now, but it’s coming.”
Karen Emma Hall shares plenty of wise advice to her younger self along with a fabulous chicken story and coloring page.
Who says being stubborn is a bad thing? Stubbornness when wielded wisely can result in wonderful blessings, is just one nugget of wisdom Carmela Dutra shares.
Stay tuned…more letters to my younger self to come! If you’re interested in hopping onto this blog, just link your post back to me or any of these #Gr8Blogs, and we’ll give you some blog lovin’ in return.
Image courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
I really enjoyed this blog Julie! I loved the way you went around with the 10 tidbits to share without revealing too much.
Thanks, Carmela. It was a fun piece to write.
Aww loved this Julie, I was nodding my head along with you in agreement to it all, Loved the part about meeting a boy, I too met my husband early on in life and even though we didn’t marry until many years later we had to go through struggles to prove our relationship….. 21 years on and still counting 🙂
Good for you! That’s something to brag about these days! Sometimes you just can’t beat your first love! It worked for me.
If I had one wish, it would be to blessed with the gift of hindsight as you demonstrate here. Thanks for sharing glimpses into Teen Julie. i love yor tip about always dreaming big and going after thise dreams, I feel as if I should whip out my thread and stitch up a sampler with your tips to hang on my wall-:D
Awww, thanks Cat. That’s so flattering!
Julie 2 ,3,4 and 5 spoke to my heart, and reminded me that my mantra – the card I drew for this month was dream big and I need to be doing that right now and let go of the insecurities – great thanks xxoo
Glad you could relate. As I made up the list, it was good reminders to myself. Sometimes I lapse into bad habits and have to remind myself I’m older and wiser now!
Julie! How like me you are! I was always serious about staying close to God too, even as a very, very young child. I don’t speak of it, (or admit it to more than one or two) but as a youngster, I wanted to a Nun, and a tiny part of me regrets not pursuing that path. But I know the Greater Plan is there, so the regrets are minuscule! Great post, enjoyed it!! Cheers!
Glad you enjoyed, Leigh. Wow, a nun. You were serious! I grew up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and it is a faith I still practice and treasure. My Dad jokes that I used to beg them to study the Bible with me. He’d say, “If you clean your room, I’ll study with you.” And it worked!
A lovely tribute to your younger self and to the life you’ve created, Julie. My letter to my younger self would probably be quite different. I know it would start with “lighten up” and “don’t take everything so seriously”. My dreams have always been very big and I’ve gone for most of them, yet my life has been about health and healing and although that could have been predicted when I was younger. I never could have imagined how it would become the overarching theme of my life. A true journey back to health. Love the idea of this letter writing exercise and happy you could offer such wonderful insights to your own younger self. The blog hop sounds like fun too. The one I did was a wonderful experience, although it had different guidelines than this one!
Thanks Beverly. Health is ever-so-important to our happiness. I’m in a healing period myself after a couple of rough years. The letter was a good reminder, despite recent trials, I’ve had a very good life and much to be grateful for.
I love your list! I’m a total people-pleaser, trying to get out that. Everyone is not going to like me or my books.
At times, I find myself lapsing into becoming a people pleaser again and have to remind myself to knock it off! And being a writer only makes this inclination worse. So true, not everyone is going to like what we write, so you have to, as the cliche points out, be true to yourself.
I loved reading this, what a great idea it is to write to your younger self, I’ve loved reading them all.
I especially loved the bit about sticking to your guns and staying with the boy!
Always be young at heart and true to yourself, thanks for reaffirming this in us all
Love Karen x
Thanks Karen! I loved reading them all as well. Truly enlightening with nuggets of wisdom throughout we can all take with us.