Dear Younger Me, Take It Easy

Life has been filled with lots of surprises, pains, and disappointment, and looking back, I can't help but wonder what would have been if I had been privileged to have a kind of heads-up about what I'll face in life and how I shouldn't dwell too much on disappointment, amongst other things, to name a few. So in the advent that I had an opportunity to meet my younger self, what would I do? Would I rush to give myself advice, warn myself about some mistakes I'd mostly like to make in the future, or what exactly would I say? Well, the thing is that I won't necessarily rush into any of that; what I'd first tell myself is to relax, take a pause, and so as to critically examine our journey.

After that, I'll start by telling my younger self that there are some mistakes I'll make in the future, and while I would have loved to tell him everything so as to save him from falling into them, I'll let him understand that even though those mistakes would hurt him, he still must undergo them, as it's going to teach him lessons that advice from me or others alone can never teach, like they say, "Experience is the best teacher." In the same vein, I'll warn him to never hold people, relationships, or situations too tightly, especially when such things have repeatedly shown in plain sight they're not meant to stay. Because the truth is that even though letting go can be difficult, we must understand that it doesn't mean we've failed; instead, it's an avenue to make room for something much better.

I remember how I made some hold on to some people in my life for some long time, only to realize I'm the one limiting myself by hanging on to them when I could have let go for a long time, and ultimately it causes me a lot, especially time that I could never regain again, and as I don't want him to fall into the same ditch, that's why I'd be warning him about holding too tightly to people and the like. One other important thing I'll tell him is regarding decision-making, I'm someone who's usually afraid of making decisions because of fear of outcome, so I'd be advising myself to not because of the fear of what the future might bring, then relent on a decision he himself is certain might transform his life positively.

One other important thing I'll advise myself about is to take care of my health and be extra careful of some of the decisions I'll take just for the betterment of those around me, not minding how that could affect me or ultimately jeopardize my heart. Even if my younger self can't read through the lines, I'm sure you, the reader, would understand the message behind these words. Most of all, I'll tell my younger self that failure isn't the end and that it's okay to start again, even when it seems like he has wasted time.

One important thing is to encourage my younger self never to give up on my dreams, not because he's not seeing the results but because the progress is slow. I'll let him understand any progress is a plus and that life isn't a race; the fact that others seem to be ahead doesn't mean he's behind—we all have a different journey. Overall, my discussion with my younger self will resolve around the need to take care of his health, appreciate his family more than others, value genuine friendship, and most importantly, not be ashamed to stay from the very bottom.

Here's my entry for the Indiaunited weekly writing prompt, to participate, click on this link for more information.

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