Dear younger me,
There are so many things I want to tell you, it’s hard to know where to start. Life can be so beautiful, and at the same time, so hard. But you are strong enough to get through it all. I’ll begin with this one simple plea:
Don’t grow up too fast.
Slow down and be patient. You have so much life left to live. There is so much that God has planned for you. But right now, enjoy this time in your life. Enjoy having your health and vitality, because you will not have these things forever.
Never waste a second wishing you were older or somewhere else in life. Treasure this time because it goes by too quickly. You will see and experience things that will urge you to grow up too fast; don’t let them. Cherish this time in your life and live every second as fully as you can.
Dear younger me, you are worth so much more than you think you are.
This is something you will struggle with. You will think you’re not good enough but I promise you are. You are so much more than enough. Stop looking to others to find your worth. Learn to love who you are and let that be enough. Know that you are God’s beautiful creation and nothing you achieve in life or fail to achieve will ever change His love for you.
Learn to give yourself grace. I know that you set high expectations for yourself, but please, give yourself a break sometimes. You do not have to be perfect. Perfect is an illusion.
Learn to talk to yourself like you would an old friend. Be kind and gentle with the words you tell yourself. The words you speak to yourself become what you believe. Choose your words carefully.
Dear younger me, try to stop worrying so much.
I promise you the majority of things you’re worried about will never actually happen. Stop wasting your precious time on the what-ifs. If you keep focusing on what could happen in the future or ruminating on things you can’t change from the past, you will miss out on the gift that is here in this moment.
Don’t look back in 20 years and regret that you never learned to appreciate today. There is something to be said for practicing mindfulness. Learn to embrace the present moment.
Dear younger me, hug your grandparents a little tighter.
Soak up every little moment you have with them. Call them, write them letters, let them know how loved and treasured they are. You will not have them forever. Make the most of your time together.
Hug your parents too. Thank them for all the sacrifices they’ve made for you. They love you more than you know and have given you a life that so many others would love to have. Tell them how much you love them as often as you can.
Dear younger me, be grateful for all you have.
Never stop searching for the blessings all around you. If you learn to look, you will find them everywhere. Be grateful for all you’ve been given. Realize the abundance of blessings that surround you.
Be thankful for the people in your life who love and support you. Let them know how much they mean to you. Nurture the relationships in your life. Relationships take work. Strive to always give more than you take from them.
Dear younger me, stop caring so much what everyone thinks about you.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” There is so much truth in this statement. Remember it. Stop living for the approval of others. You will never be able to please everyone.
There will be people in this life who don’t like you. Learn to accept this and move on. Find the people in this world who do appreciate the fire burning inside your heart. Find them and love them hard.
Learn to forgive quickly, but don’t let anyone walk all over you. Stand up for yourself. Stand up for what you believe in. Believe that there is goodness in this world and make it your life’s mission to seek out and find this goodness.
Dear younger me, stop letting your fear hold you back.
You have wrestled with fear your entire life. Don’t let it win. Choose faith instead of fear. Know that wherever you go, God will go with you. You are never alone.
Don’t let your fear hold you back from living your life and stepping out boldly into the world. You have so many gifts to give; do not let fear prevent you from sharing these gifts with the world.
Dear younger me, don’t let pain harden your heart.
Instead, use your pain for good. Know that it serves a great purpose. Learn from the difficult times in your life. Never stop learning. Let your pain give you a wisdom that you would not otherwise have.
When you go through difficult times, don’t hide your pain and become closed off to others. Learn to share your truth and use your story to help others to feel less alone in theirs. If you do this, you will never waste your pain.
Dear younger me, you can do hard things.
There will be times in life that are hard. But you are so much stronger than you know. You are more resilient and wiser than you know. Don’t ever forget this. There will be times when life will try to wear you down. Don’t let it. There will be times when life will be messy and unpredictable and you will question it all.
But know that God has great plans for you. You will do amazing things in this life. Believe in yourself. This life is so beautiful. Never stop searching for the beauty in this world. And never stop believing that you can change this world. You can make a difference in the lives of others. Trust in yourself, trust in God, and know that you can make it through anything.
Love,
Your future self
P.S. When you meet that dark-haired guy that winks at you from across the party, don’t let him go. He will love you fiercely, in sickness and in health. He will love you through the good times and the bad and will make you see all the beauty that you possess. He is a good, good man. The kind of man your father knows that you deserve, the kind he would choose for you if he could. Choose him and don’t ever let him go. He will be one of the greatest gifts that you will ever receive.
I love it❤️ It’s absolutely true. I would left very similar letter for my younger me.
So glad you liked this!
Such a stunning piece of writing. The hug your grandparents tighter part really hit me. So many things that are relevant to when I was younger. Thank you for sharing this!
Thank you so much!
So beautifully written as always, Sam! I love what you said about how we believe the things we think about ourselves. It’s a lesson I’m still learning now that I wish I had learned years ago!
It’s so true. The words we speak to ourselves are so powerful. I’m a work in progress with trying to speak to myself more kindly!
Love this ❤️ Such encouraging words and so much truth. “Don’t let pain harden your heart”- one of my favorites.
Thank you, Lori!
I definitely could have used most of these lessons growing up. Those were hard years for me! But at least we know now 🙂
Me too, Jennifer. But we are so much wiser now 😊
This was so beautiful and really cute! I feel like I can take in many of these messages. “Dear younger me, don’t let pain harden your heart,” was the one that really resonated with me right now. There is so much value in softening.
Thank you! I’m glad this resonated with you.
I can tell you as a much older me this is on point. It only took me about 55 years to get comfortable in my own skin. Life is short. Live it to the fullest❤️.
Glad you could relate to this. Also so glad to hear that you’re finally comfortable in your own skin, you deserve that ❤️
I love it! This is beautifully written!
Thank you so much!
Hi,
These are so true and at some point, in our 30’s we always think about what we could have done when we were younger! Don’t grow up too fast is my favorite and I wish I would always stay 18.
-Nandita
http://www.nanditasampat.com/blog
This is so sweet, I love it ❤️
Thank you for reading!
Such a beautiful post. I could relate so well to it. I actually wish someone had told my younger self all these.
Thank you! So glad you could relate.
My younger self so needed to hear this, Sam. Thankyou so much for penning this down in such a beautiful way. Sending so much love and light.
Thank you so much for reading. I’m glad it resonated with you!
This is very creative. I remember writing letters to my future self, but I’ve never written one to my past self.
Thank you, Grace.
Samantha, this is such a beautiful post. I couldn’t agree more with every single point made, especially to stop worrying. With that being said, I think we need to remind our present selves these things too! Thanks for the great read!
Sincerely,
BL
Thank you so much, I’m glad this resonated with you. And my present self most definitely needs these reminders as well!
This is such a beautifully written, heartfelt post. It made my heart smile. Thank you for sharing.
Oh I’m so glad to hear that. Thank you for reading!
Beautiful – don’t you wish we could really do this? Age gives us the wisdom we could have used in our youth! But also, would we heed our own advice? Maybe we’re meant to learn the lessons on our own to arrive right where we are.
Yes I wish I could really go back and talk to my younger self but maybe you’re right, everything happens just as it’s supposed to!
The ones that touched my heart and were very relatable was not growing up too fast and to hug my grandparents tighter. My grandparents live all live in Ghana and they all passed away really quickly and I don’t really remember the last time I verbally told them I loved them. Ever since I was young, I always wanted to be older and on my own and a big girl in the real world by myself, now I’m at the point where I wish I was a kid again to enjoy all of the moments where there was no bills or responsibilities. Thank you for sharing xxx
I wish I could hug my grandparents again, and I’m sure you do too. And if only we knew to slow down and not wish to grow up so fast when we were younger. Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts!
Love this! It is so true!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading.
I love this post and the spirit of what you’re sharing here. Thank you. 🌸
I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for reading!
Beautiful! I can totally relate to “choose faith over fear” and it is something that I would definitely say to my younger self. 🙂 Loved the postscript too! 🙂
Thank you so much!
This is really beautiful!
Thank you!
Took me forever to learn how to give myself grace. Comparison was always my “default” and it wasn’t until my 30s I realized we are on different journeys and loving who I am and how I grow on my journey is the most remarkable feeling I could have. Thank you for this inspiring read
This is beautiful Samantha, thank you! A reminder to be kind to ourselves and grateful for all that we have ❤️
Thank you Stephanie!
I have a list of things I would like to tell my younger self too. Thank you so much for an interesting read