10 Things I Would Tell My Younger Self About Life
1. You can’t hold on to anything that wants to go, you just have to love it while you got it, and that’s that.
Respect someone’s decision to walk away enough to not blame them for doing so, and respect yourself enough to not whine and beg them to stay.
2. You can be anything in life, but never be ungrateful.
You have seen this written in every other article about personal growth and that is only because it is true. Gratitude is the very first ingredient for a happy life. Be thankful for your own bedroom, nice clothes, warm food on your plate, and the people in your life. Some 14-year-old out there is working 100+ hours a week in a plastic factory to feed himself and other younger siblings, and yet he still manages to be grateful for simply being alive.
3. Now is good.
Because it is the only fleeting moment that you have the power and control over what you think, say, and make out of life. Really taste the food you are eating, talk to your grandparents more often and cherish your ridiculous moments with your friends, for you might not be as close to them in a few years as you are now.
4. People barely change, we only reveal different versions of ourselves which alter through time and circumstances.
Sometimes, whether we like it or not, those unexpected versions emerge and offend those around us, and vice versa. So don’t hold on to your idea of how certain people used to be or are supposed to be, just let them be, keep an open mind and love them for who they are.
5. There is a big difference between loving someone and loving the idea of how that someone is.
Loving someone is to offer understanding, encouragement, and respect. While loving the idea of someone is expecting them to be whichever prince charming you have been dreaming of, get disappointed when they don’t, and blame them.
6. Respect people’s time, decisions, space, and lifestyles.
You don’t know better, and even if you do, respect their choices anyway.
7. Your mom loves you, so does your dad.
Don’t be too hard on them.
8. It’s okay to say no.
It is okay to fade away from one of your oldest friends if things don’t feel right anymore or to choose the job you really want over the job that everybody wants you to have. Listen and appreciate the well-meant advices but make your own decision simply because you are the one living with the consequences.
9. Let people you love know you love them.
You are ALWAYS going to lose people, by choice or by chance. We are all perishable.
10. Say yes more.
To parties, places, and countries where you barely know anyone. It’s almost unbelievable how sometimes you meet the greatest people, have the craziest moments and learn the most precious things in life by a simple ‘Yes’.