Living Lightly: Lessons Learned Along The Way

When I see prompts that asks me to talk to my younger self, I always take it as a way to remind my present self that there is still a way to make amendments for a better future self so I don't regret and start advicing my present self from the future again. One thing I've noticed about my kind of person is, I take advices slowly than I should.

Advices are great but I always appreciate the ones I get before the deed is done. I've had to hit myself a lot for getting something wrong before I get an advice that could have worked better before the deed was done. To be honest, this advice I'll share is more to my present self than to my younger self and I got them from my mum.

Over five years ago, I was younger and did a lot of things out of my emotions. I still do it now but I got to learn so much from my past experiences that I could have done it better than I did then. To life lightly, that is being free from physical and emotional things is hard for a human because we are built with emotion but we can have a control.

I can't tell the number of times I've had to let go of opportunities and situations that could have improved my life I had taken them to challenge, I let them go because of past experiences and emotions I didn't put under control. Honestly, it is draining and heavy to carry around past emotions and let them take a part in my present decisions.

To my younger self who I can say is still a message to my present self... You're not doing so badly but you can do better for your future self to thank you more. Doing everything all at once is not as helpful to your mental health as you think, do one at a time and your future self will thank you for the good mental health she gained later.

Watching my mum since we got reunited after years of separation, I've learned so much about how she lead a peaceful and light living. At first, I didn't understand how one can be so relaxed in a world that's so fast and asking me to keep doing something no matter how tired I get. So I just kept at what I knew how to do best until later.

Today when I look back at how she slowly made me realize just how much my physical and emotional health matters and only I have the ability to help them live lightly, I just keep thanking her. So many things I do today, I feel much better in many aspects than ever imagined in my younger self and it's all thanks to mum.

My present self wouldn't have come this far without taking advices even though some came late and I have so much I'm teaching my present self so I'll be much happier and free in the future. My past self didn't as much advice than the ones I got along the way but still, I have a better understanding of how to keep my emotions in check, live more freely and utilize my time better.