What would you say in a letter to your younger self?
There is a wonderful song titled “Dear Younger Me” by the band Mercy Me that is quite thought provoking.
If you could somehow write a letter to your younger self, what kind of things would you tell yourself? Would you attempt to alter or even delete some of the tougher moments you have experienced throughout your life? Would you warn yourself about people who have betrayed or hurt you? Or would you offer yourself advice to try to make life easier?
I’ve given this some thought; it is indeed an interesting concept. I could offer my younger self all kinds of advice, directions and shortcuts, giving information to make the road less bumpy for my younger self.
Perhaps I should warn myself of the major tragedies that I would have to face: the atrocities of 9/11 or even the COVID pandemic which we are still facing … but how could one prepare for those kinds of things?
What about natural disasters? Should I warn myself where and when major earthquakes or tornadoes or hurricanes will hit?
But wait. Why would I do that? Each one of those bumps in my path helped form me into the person I am now. And the way I handled each bump, whether good or bad, was yet one more chip on the sculpture that is my life. The masterpiece of me.
Am I perfect? No way! I’m about as far from perfect as they come. However, I do learn from my past, and I am receptive to trying to improve whenever possible.
Would future knowledge of these tragedies affect the way I live my life? Wouldn’t knowing what was going to happen diminish the joy of day-to-day living? If I knew that there would be a tragedy on such and such a date,
The “Back to the Future” studio car at at Universal Studios in California.
I would do nothing but fixate on that date and miss out on a whole lot of living in the process.
I think, if anything, I would advise myself to be kind to myself. I would recommend that I downplay the failures and celebrate the victories, no matter how small each may be.
Life is short — focus more on the joys in life, walk away from turmoil and from people who are detrimental to your emotional health. Stay away from unnecessary drama and those who promote it. And Younger Self, those people will be all around, sometimes camouflaged, sometimes masquerading as friends. Be ready for the unexpected.
No, I would not give away what lies ahead. I believe that everything happens for a reason. I think I would remind myself that there will be positive results that emerge from every negative, every hardship. Always choose to see the joy.
Younger Me, make sure to enjoy life. It’s not all about deadlines and commitments, there is happiness to be found as well. Make sure to take the time to look for it and pursue it. Don’t worry about what anyone else thinks; if you have a dream or a goal, go for it. Never let naysayers get the best of you.
What you think, what you want, matters. Don’t take the blame for things that are not your fault, don’t blame yourself for things out of your control. And above all, be honest. If the blame is yours, claim it. If the glory is yours, grab it. And if you get the opportunity to be generous, act on it.
There have been many movies made with the theme of time travel in the past few decades. The most well-known is probably the “Back to the Future” series. A common theme in all of them is the idea that you should not ever interfere with your own future.
“The effects could be catastrophic!” was the comment made by Doc Brown, the brilliant mind that invented time travel in those movies.
(For you movie buffs, you know it was the flux capacitor that made time travel possible!) You are the author of your own future; it is yours to write. Make it a good one!