33 Things I Would Tell My Younger Self

A Letter to My Younger Self

I know you like them words. But an introduction doesn’t work everywhere so let me get to the point.

1. You will leave all this one day to write. But there is no way you can tell now so just go through this and don’t worry too much.
2. You will cross someone you love now on the street later and not even say hi.
3. The boy who broke your heart did you a favor. (and 13 other ideas on how to care less.)
4. Books will change your life. Read, baby. Read.
5. No one else is going to believe in you for you. You gotta start doing it yourself.
6. People will love you for the values you’ll care about. Those who will love you for your body or money or cooking skills won’t really love you.
7. You will have to give a lot more than you think you can.
8. One night you will be lost on a dark highway in Thailand all alone without a phone. One day you will be in a tour van with the driver driving you to and fro between the Chile–Bolivia border but none of the countries will take you in. On a very bright day in July you will be fired from a big world bank for questioning an egocentric boss. You will not have a backup plan always but you will make one on the go and get yourself out every time.
9. You will almost lose your family because you won’t marry until you are 32. But an 80–year–old Chilean woman known for her obnoxiousness will wait for you in her home with gallons of red wine in plastic cans.
10. She will not be the only one.
11. Hundreds of people will email you, message you, contact you from around the world telling how your writing helped them so never, never think you are alone.
12. Constructive criticism and meaningless negative blaming are two different things. One day, you will be able to tell. (many more lessons in life)
13. You will make many many mistakes.
14. You will be so scared so many times you won’t be able to count.
15. You will still be trying to understand the stars, this infinite space around us, the blue sky above, the billowing ocean ahead. You will still ask where we are, what’s all this, what’s the purpose. You will read tonnes of books. Watch videos. Write about it. You will feel sad when you wouldn’t find an obvious significance to living. But you will not be the only one searching for meaning. And in your quest, at least, you won’t be alone.
16. As the doctors stitch up your knee on an obscure Indonesian island, you will sing so hard while crying, they will laugh. There is a rhythm to pain.
17. You will jump whenever you’ll have to.
18. It looks easy for others. It is not.
19. You will hold their hands and tell them it is alright. Like you do now.
20. Your favorite movie will be The Shape of Water. Why? Another being from another source of life is hope for you, not weirdness.
21. You don’t know Proust now but he will become your favorite writer. I hope this letter to my younger self finds you and you read him now.
22. In every human relationship, you will give more than you have to. But you don’t have to.
23. You will worry more than you need to. But you don’t have to. Most of the things that matter are out of your control. (Serendipity or choice?)
24. But you will have to walk until the turn to find the path ahead. No one else can do that for you.
25. Life doesn’t get easier, it just gets different.
26. One person will mean more than most of the rest combined.
27. There is nothing like too much dancing.
28. Art will bring love and chaos into your life. But it will be the only thing that will make sense.
29. Science will continue to make everything easy and magical.
30. Water can be a best friend when there is no one else. Try standing under a shower with your eyes closed and your fingers in your ears. Better. Find a beach and stand on the sand with your eyes closed. Let the cool waves roll in and wet your feet. Listen to the ocean.
31. It will get so hard sometimes you would want to let go and sink in, but only for a second. You will find yourself rowing harder, running faster, and jumping higher every time you don’t think you can.
32. Lists get longer and longer. Even if you can get only a little bit out, do it. A little bit done many times is better than not doing anything at all.
33. You will figure out what’s important in life. Just let yourself be.

Now tear apart this letter because you will get to live every moment. It doesn’t get any better.

Pair This Letter With Life lessons to excel in your 30s and Lessons Learned in 2022

Did you like the advice for my younger self? What advice would you give your younger self? Tell me in the comments.