This is one of my favorite pieces by him. And no matter how many times I watch it, it makes me wonder what I would tell my 16-year-old self, or any of my past selves for that matter. Oh if I only knew then what I know now:
Dear younger self,
Stop worrying so much about what others are thinking about you. They probably don’t even know what to think of themselves. Worry about what you think about yourself and just roll with that. It’s a lot more fun and stress free that way.
High school is not your life. Your first job, nor your second job, which you might think you want to do forever, is not your life. It’s just high school. It’s just a job. It can easily be your life, if you let it. But you can also make it temporary.
Don’t ever stop doing what you love, even if you’re not that great at it. And if you are great at it, all the more reason to keep doing it.
Don’t stop putting 110% of yourself into everything you do, even if you don’t get 110% back. That’s who you are, that’s the type of dedicated person you are, and don’t ever half-ass it no matter how many times being that passionate bites you in the ass. It may suck to not get that kind of effort back from people, from hobbies, from jobs, from anything. But don’t stop.
You can be weird. You can be unique. You can be cliché. You can be whatever the hell you want to be. Just be it. In a few years, you’ll come to love an Avett Brothers lyric: “Decide what to be, and go be it.” And you will listen to that song on repeat just to hear that line and yell it at the top of your lungs. You’ll throw emphasis on it. And people will look at you weird. But oh well, they'll do that anyway, with or without your emphasized lyrics.
Signed,
The ever-changing person you want to be, who will probably have more advice for that person in a few years.
There are a million things I would tell myself if I could. But that’s why we change. That’s why we better ourselves instead of dwelling on the way we should’ve been. Learn from your past self. Move forward.
What would you tell your younger self if you could?
I've asked myself this question a lot. And I may do a post about it because I love yours so much!
ReplyDeleteA few things I would tell my sixteen-year-old self...
- Don't waste time crying over that boy or the one that comes after him. A better one is just a year and a half away and he's going to love you with his whole heart and you're going to be amazed that anyone could love like that and then you're going to feel silly for doing all this weeping in your car in the driveway over some kid who just got his driver's license and thinks Axe Body Spray is a suitable substitute for actually showering.
- But since you're going to cry over him, anyway, forgive yourself. Forgive yourself for not knowing better. Forgive yourself for being human. Forgive yourself and let the hurt flow through you. Don't hold on to it. Don't get bitter.
- Stop wearing so much eyeliner.
- Save more money.
- Apply for that internship now while you don't have to worry about paying the bills.
- In a few years...someone will invent this thing called "Facebook." Ignore it.
- Take more pictures.
- Your metabolism is going to change. Enjoy the whole being a size 2 thing while it lasts.
- When you're not a size 2 anymore, you will start to think things you never thought you would think. Things like, "If I could just lose 30 pounds, I'd finally like myself" or "I know I'm smart and funny and beautiful and that I have a great family but I'd rather be skinny." Do what you can to curb the impulse to hate on yourself. It's a bad gig.
- Savor college. It will turn out to be the easiest time of your life and the most fun and it will also go way too fast and you'll really miss it a lot.
Megan, you have to check out Sarah Kay. This is her at TED. She talks about a lot of stuff to do with art and poetry but the part of the video where she performs "B" or "If I Should Have a Daughter" is just like...one of the best things ever. I cry watching it every single time. So good.
Whoops, here's the link!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0snNB1yS3IE
I love your advice :) I would probably tell myself some of the same stuff, but your advice made me wonder a lot more about the things I would tell myself now. It makes me wonder how much of my advice to my younger self is actually advice to my current self. And amen to the one about Axe body spray. I think every guy should go tell their younger self that. Maybe some should tell their current selves that. And thank you Elizabeth, I will go check that out!
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