Letter to My Younger Self

Hello,

I am writing this to you as a 21-year old.

I am not writing to tell you about the regrets that I have about my past. No, that would not be fair to you. You deserve to live every step of your life without having to think, ‘what if I regret this later?’ Or even worse, you may end up thinking I regret every bit of being you. I will not put you in that position. I am also not going to give you the spoilers of your life. It is sometimes better to live in uncertainty. You will learn that eventually.

I am not exactly the role model or mentor kind of person. I cannot advice you on all the aspects of life. I am not perfect. Again, I believe someone should be allowed to live their life, make their mistakes, learn from them and better themselves. Everyone has a different story. I ask just one thing of you; have an open mind when reading this.

You may not heed all my advice. That is why I will give you just a few. For a start. This is just the beginning.

Read. Read. Read. There is a lot of information and knowledge in the world and it’s all up for grabs. Read extensively. Enjoy what you read. Reading gives you power. You may view some writings as boring but eventually you will learn they are all relevant. Train yourself to love reading.

Be courageous. I am shy. You must know that. You are me. But never let that limit your abilities. Feel free to express yourself. Say whatever it is you think. No one is ever fully right really. Engage people in discussions. Before your opinion is shut down, ensure there is a valid reason.

Have no regrets. There will come a time when you will feel like you made some terrible decisions and wish you had not. Here is my advice, do not regret those times. Do not regret your choices, moves and decisions. You will never progress if you do. Instead, accept situations as they are. What you can change, change. What you cannot let it be. But do not regret.

Be happy. Happiness is a choice. I have come to realize this. No one hands happiness as random leaflets. It’s a choice we make as individuals. Once the decision is made, stick to it.

I promised not to bore you with advice. That is all I can tell you in this letter. For now just live your life. Do not worry about the future. As usual, each day will sort itself out. I want you to set pace for your journey without any sort of influence from me. Whatever path you choose, I know you will end up here. And here is a happy place for you.

One day I will write to give you all the spoilers. This was just to let you know that you turned out well. You are the best version of yourself. And you are happy.

One day at a time,

Future Paula.