Based On What I Know Now, Here’s What I Want My Younger Self To Know
By Alexa Loebel
Dear younger me…
You’ve been through a heck of a lot. You’ve taken on the world, diving head first into the unknown, and you should be proud. You’ve battled through failures and successes from across the country that has led you to where you are and who you are today. I’m proud of the journey you’ve embarked on and the control you have over your life. But, if I could tell you everything that I have learned so far.
Dear younger me…
So full of laughter, hope, and dreams; don’t ever lose your zest for life. Remember what your coaches always said: give 100% until the clock stops running. Fight until the very last second. Don’t lose faith when the game isn’t over. The same goes for life. There are a handful of moments that could have been easier to get through, easier to overcome if your past was a smoother ride, yet you still never gave up, you never let down.
Just remember that nothing in this life is game over, and you have every opportunity in front of you. Fight for your dreams and go after what you want with full force, that fire inside of you, don’t ever let that burn out. You’ve always had an adventurous, wandering mind ready to take on any new and unknown journey that comes your way. Don’t let some boy or someone’s words knock you off your driver’s seat because you’re the one in control of what comes next. You determine where your next checkmate lies.
Put yourself first, because being mission control throughout this crazy life is one of the most important lessons I’ve learned. You’re going to realize that some of the things that others like and want, you will not. You’re going to learn about new passions and hidden talents that were buried within your past. Once you find out what those passions and talents are, embrace each one of them. Your passions make up who you are as your own person, and that’s the greatest gift you have. Right now at this moment, you may want to follow the world, but soon you will learn how to break away from comfort and take on the world with wonder, eagerness, and curiosity; to stand on your own and ready conquer what comes next.
Dear younger me…
You are funny, strong-willed, and brave. Don’t allow yourself to lose your confidence and lively spirit in someone else. I promise you, you will rely on yourself and your positivity to get you through some pretty challenging times. You may not know it now, but you will admire this crazy life’s plot twists and turns. You will enjoy being thrown these unexpected and taxing curve balls, because, through the heartbreak and suffering you’ve been faced to overcome, you’ve managed to still come out on top.
The little things that may seem so big right now…they won’t seem so big later on. Rather than believing in and going after a tiny piece of life’s puzzle, focus on the bigger picture. Think of life’s puzzle as a masterpiece shaped by your life’s playbook. You have many fears that you’re uneasy about facing alone, yet as you get older and experience different parts of the world, you will choose to face them on your own. Right now, you’re enjoying where you’re at, you’re comfortable with your relationships and events taking place at this very moment. But, you will soon learn that you don’t like being comfortable and you embrace anything and everything that could mean taking on something so new, something so unexpected.
Dear younger me…
You have a lot to learn and you have the world to experience, embrace every hardship, triumph, and moment.