Advice for My Younger Self

Photo by Sheri Hooley on Unsplash

As we age, we can look back on our lives with regret or wistfulness, wishing things were different then or now. Regret is a difficult emotion.

Life is what it is and we did the best we could with what we knew at the time.

Wouldn’t it have been fantastic though, if our older self could have travelled back in time and given us a page or two of advice — people or places to steer clear of, etc. Sounds like some sci-fi movie.

And really, would we have listened? I know my teenagers would roll their eyes at my advice and frankly, as adults I think they still do!

It’s fun to try though.

Some things I would tell my younger self, if this were possible, would be:

1. Say yes to more things, more experiences, more love and more adventure. Isn’t it said that people regret what they didn’t do more than things they did?
2. Wear sunscreen! Omg — this is huge. I remember being 17 and sitting by the pool putting on baby oil to increase my tan (now my older self is trying hard not to be too critical of the lines on her face! Thank you Mr. Sun.)
3. Don’t get married so young! Really, this doesn’t need explaining. Young marriages rarely work out — not to mention you miss out on the fun and adventures…