Dear Younger Me,

Supposing I could take the opportunity to speak to my former self, there are some helpful recommendations I would desire to share. First of all, let me tell you that any concern and nervousness that you may have and that you personally feel at the present moment, and all the doubts that can visit you, are quite natural.

Image by Anthony Tran

It is evident that throughout life, every teenager feels insecure from time to time and attempts to find their place. I would advise you to have some patience with yourself, as you will one day grow into your true self. You are Not Alone – Your differences make you special, even if it is difficult for you to realize this now when you feel like you're on the outside. Trust that there are others out there who will embrace you for who you are.

I would also like to kindly advise you not to be so afraid of failing. Later in life, you'll realize how many times you could have been promoted or simply received a chance at a new job you never even considered applying for due to fear. Accept the fact that it is perfectly normal to fail at something in the process of reaching for success. Minerva's dictum is that nothing is ever wasted if something can be learned from the experience. Do not make it a habit to stop when you are halfway through a project because you may fail at first. Some of the greatest pleasures in life are found in a process where one feared or disliked a task, but had to do it and, in the process, succeeded in doing it.

In the same vein, I have a few things I would like to advise you as follows: Do not associate yourself so much with achievements and accolades. Teach yourself how to appreciate your worth and the importance of self, not through titles, rankings, or what people have to say. There are internal motivators as well as internal measures of effectiveness and efficiency. Thus, if one fails to achieve a goal or fails in business or does not achieve their dreams as planned, then he or she will not lose their identity.

I would also emphasize the importance of quality and not expecting life to begin when an arbitrary age is reached. It would do us a lot of good to begin to develop an attitude of appreciation for the present status of our life than to be consumed by the anticipation of the next stage. Today, do not take lightly all those whom you are meeting and all those chances which are crossing your way. Do not focus that much on the future because you may miss what is before you today.

It is well to learn but ensure that you get knowledge and wisdom as these two are distinct. It is essential to know how to regulate your emotions so that you can have successful interpersonal relationships. Thus, the best parental and personal experience, knowledge, and expertise cannot compensate for self-identity and interindividual interaction in life's drama. One must take efforts to increase one's brain size as well as one's heart size.

Finally, I would like to assure my younger self that in fact no one is perfect, and everyone has his or her own set of problems. We are all more or less the same and everyone is doing what they want and learning from their mistakes. Be tolerant of yourself and other people around you. It is true that they portray a glamorous and perfect life on social media platforms, hence giving a wrong impression. Know that behind every success there stands failure, that everyone has doubts and fears and struggles to determine their life's purpose. This means that you are not alone even when going through the challenges and the achievements as well. It's for all and sundry and one can invest their all in it.

I hope these words encourage you 'dear younger self' to take risks, as well as embrace the present moment, not be paralyzed by fear, seek acceptance within, practice kindness, and understand that with time and age comes confidence as well as clarity. You've got this! The future awaits.