If you could travel back in time and give your younger self some life-changing advice, what age would you pick and what would you say? Would you change careers, college majors, or perhaps even significant others? Do you tell yourself to work harder or to stop and smell the roses?
I found this post idea at Wise Bread and decided to write my own younger self advice letter. Please have a read who knows you could win something.
Dear Deborah,
Now that you are sixteen it is time for you to buckle up, the ride will get bumpy. You are embarking on your first job please start paying yourself first don’t wait until you are twenty something. Also, go ahead and speak your mind don’t stiffle your thoughts and opinions to protect the feelings of others. They will appreciate the truth and still value your friendship.
Your punctuality is an asset but slow down you don’t have to drive so fast, that’s how accidents happen, Oh! You’ll see many times. You are an independent individual so just get on a plane, train, bus or bike and go see it for yourself. After all you are a seeing is believing person. Mister right will elude you and frankly your standards are going to be too high. Heck he may have passed you several times to no avail. Lighten up, don’t be so tough. Hey go ahead and try to chronicle your life events because yours will read like a good book. You will wander like a hobo because putting down roots just isn’t for you so make the most of the three years you spend in any one place.
Deborah, most importanly remember each day, each action and each dream is a building block and when you have time to look back you will see how each step has lead you up to the greatness of today.
Please take care of me,
Debbee
Write your best younger self advice letter in the comments and be entered in a random drawing for a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate. Deadline to enter drawing is 10/31/07. Don’t forget to enter your email address in the field provided. Link to this post and you get an additional entry.
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Dear aBookworm,
Learn to forgive. People are people and will do things to hurt and disappoint you. By forgiving them, your heart will be so much lighter and you will be much more happier.
Just be yourself, take things in your stride.
Oh, and don’t give up your faith in God, even when it seems like he’s deserted you. Things always work out for the better.
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Dear Blonde Teenager,
While it’s wonderful that you like to see the best in people, don’t let that cloud your judgement when it comes to reading people. There will be those out there that will prey upon your naievete and will use it against you. Don’t let that happen!
Love,
You/Me
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Just dropping you a line to let you know that I have added your contest to several related categories in our directory.
http://www.mrprizes.com/individual/listingID_0485.htm
Please feel free to keep me up to date on future listings. Have a great day!
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For those that are receiving comment updates and wish to no longer to, simply look at the bottom of the email, click on the link that says “To manage your subscriptions or to block all notifications from this site, click the link below:” Just as you would any other subscription.
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Dear me,
Try to get pregnant earlier. Do something besides real estate so when the going gets tough, you can do something else. Invest in the internet. Don’t gamble. Follow your heart!
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Great contest.
I don’t have too far to look back unless I say to 18 year old Cooper “don’t get on that four wheeler your gonna break your ribs and will lose a whole winter of snowboarding”.
I think I’d go back a mere five months and say “Cooper think about it, don’t take that job directly out of school and don’t plan your grad studies so soon. You’ve worked like a dog for four years and you should take this year off and go mess around, or on that surf trip with your friends and get some perspective on your future.
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You hate lab work, go ecology instead of microbiology. Also? Take some CS classes and play more games.
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Dear 18 year old lisalmg,
You are going to be a mom in 9 months. Don’t be scared! Keeping her will be the best decision you have ever made in your life so stop worring about what your friends and family are saying. YOU WILL BE OK! She will be born really early and the first few month of her life will be filled with hospitals and doctors but everything will end up fine. Don’t be afraid to tell the nurses you want to hold her! They will act busy but be firm and they will let you. She makes the cutest little smiles that will melt your heart! Please don’t give up on your dream of going to college! You think it is impossible right now but if you don’t go you will regret it! Look for financial aid and get help from anyone you can. I know you will be able to do it if you don’t give up!
With love from you much older self
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Hi, I made my letter but left it up on my own site. You should have gotten a trackback but here is the link to the post:
http://antibarbie.net/2007/10/27/a-letter-to-myself/
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Dear younger self,
Pace yourself when it comes to driving, boys, and liquor! Don’t let Mom see you mocking her behind her back. And ALWAYS have a better reason for doing something other than “just because!!!”
Older wiser Self
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Younger Me;
The Doctor will never come for you. There will never be a space/tiem anomoly that transports you to Jean-Luc’s quarters. No wormhole will shoot you through space toward that Delvian priestess.
On top of that, there is no God and no such thing as true love. Do away with these fantasies now, and you can’t go wrong
Love,
You’re Older and Wiser Self
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Dear younger me,
I desparately hope you read this before you turn 26. Dad will start experiencing some shortness of breath and fatigue. Just before you get married he will take himself to the ER for chest pain, and then the next day you will take him to the cardiologist for a stress test. Despite it coming back normal, he will continue to have these symptoms. DON’T QUESTION IT!!! GET ANOTHER OPINION!!! That first stupid cardiologist will miss something. Keep at it, trust your gut, don’t stop until they find out the problem. If you don’t, you will regret it the rest of your life.
Love,
Your older self
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dear younger me,
i guess the best advice i could give you would be to just enjoy being a designer and not burn out. careers can be made by just doing what you enjoy, rather than working to be the best or highest paid at what you do. in the end, no one remembers you for the extra hours you put into work, but instead you’ll be remembered for the way in which you gave to the lives of others.
love, older me
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Dear Younger Me,
Journal all the funny things the kiddos said, because although you’ll think you will remember them, you wont!
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Dear Me (at age 15),
Do not, under any circumstances, let anybody change your mind about majoring in management. It’s the thing for you!
Go ahead with your languages’, it’s the thing for you! Too!
Nag on your parents to get you your own laptop, and explore the Internet, for there lays the secret of making money and working hard. Do not wait until you are any older!
Be good!
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Dear Caryn
Now that you are 18, I’d like to share some advice with you. You’re an adult, at least the law says you are, although you’re still too young to drink and various other questionable activities. I know you’ve waited anxiously for this day but I want to caution you to slow down. Don’t be in such a hurry to “grow up.” Life really is shorter than it seems. We are only here for a moment, a breath. Spend quality time with friends and family. Put people above things. Make each day, each moment count. Enjoy every season of life whether it be being single, going to college, starting a career… We are in such a hurry to get to that next stage that we don’t enjoy the stage of life we’re in. Don’t wait for Mr. Right to explore your dreams. Mr. Right will come at the right time and you will be a more rounded, complete person for pursuing your dreams. Wait until you’re ready to sacrifice your life to have a child and then pour all of your love and affection towards them. Above all, put your relationship with Christ first and your life will be changed for the better no matter what you face.
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Forgot to say that I blogged about you here:
http://jasonncaryn.blogspot.com/2007/10/contests-around-blog-world.html
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To Kotsengkuba, when he was 17:
You know really well that you love computers, programming and internet. When you’re enrolling in college, please choose a computer course. You will realize when you get older that it’s easier working in a field that you really love.
Take care,
Kotsengkuba, when he is 28
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[...] is the opriginal post Travel Back in Time-Advice to your Younger Self. Write your letter in the comment section of the original post and be entered in a random drawing [...]
Dear younger me,
Save, save, save. Avoid credit cards. Save as much money as you can. When Apple stock hits $15, buy as much as you can afford. Take money out of savings, checking, whatever. Buy, buy, buy when it hits $15.
Oh, and buy some gold when it’s still under $300 an ounce. Apple stock and gold. Buy more Apple stock though.
Oh, and go ahead and buy that Latin textbook. And don’t store books in the basement.
Thanks,
Older you
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To Beth at 17:
Rebel on this one thing with your parents: Don’t stifle your creativity, don’t buy into fear and “what ifs.” Know that it’s your life, free to make it what you will. And don’t waste time blaming anyone–your parents, or anyone, who tells you “you can’t do this, it’s too hard.” Please know that it’s not about you, it’s not that you are not good enough. It’s about them, their fears, their choices. Love them for their differences, and for their devotion to you in every other way but this one matter.
And please, please, my darling girl, redefine your personal definition of failure. Failure is not trying at all, failure is not listening to your inner knowings. If you try something and it does not work, use that experience to redefine your search, your dream, your life. And know you haven’t failed. Sometimes, things just don’t show up when we want them to. It’s called life, my darling girl.
Know that I love you, I believe in you, and I’m with you every step of the way.
Beth at 58.
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Dear 18 Yr. Old Self:
I’m not going to give you a list of don’ts. Why? Because I want you to learn from the mistakes you’ll make.
I WANT you to go to that football game and drink too much beer with your friend during your senior year in high school. Why? Because you realized you were too young at the time and couldn’t handle it. As a result you never drank again until you were more mature.
I WANT you to give your heart to that guy in college that you felt was the love of your life. Why? Because, although your heart was broken, you learned the difference between love, lust, and infatuation.
I WANT you to fail chemistry your junior year and have to attend summer school. Why? Because it was important for you to be embarrassed about this failure and subsequently get your act together.
So my advice is: DO stumble along in life, DO make mistakes, DO have setbacks. When you’re much older, you’ll look back on these events as valuable life lessons that helped shape you into a fantastic, successful, and wonderful human being.
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Dear younger self,
Patience is a true virtue that you have. You will have to wait a while. But you must buy a Mega Millions lottery ticket for March 2, 2007. It is just $2 for the ticket. The jackpot will be $275 Million. No one will win it except for you. Here are the numbers: 14,21,33,35,51 Mega Ball – 43, Megaplier – 4. I know that Mega Ball and Mega Plier mean nothing to you right now. But trust me, they will make perfect sense to you later.
Instead of learning later in life, know now that taking a risk pays off. You may not get what you want; however, you will always know that you tried.
Oh yes…When your red car dies on you on Interstate 20, do not try to restart it. You will avoid a nasty car fire. The car’s engine will be no good, and start looking for a new car. Save the $2000 from that repair bill, and use the money to get another car.
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[...] you that took the time to participate in Debo Hobo dot Com’s very first contest. Many of the Letters of Advice to Your Younger Self were so well written and showed that you dug down deep in thought and emotion and I really [...]
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article Travel Back In Time- Advice to Your Younger Self, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
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[...] post is inspired by the contest at Debo Hobo Dot Com where you are supposed to write a letter to your younger self with advice on what you could do [...]
Not bad at all, but this topic is rather little of interest. Please do not disappoint your readership.
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Debo Hobo Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Wow really! And you should not spam my blog, thanks for visiting but no thanks
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dcr Reply:
September 21st, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Don’t you use Akismet? Or did that one sneak past it?
dcrs last blog post..An Assassin Bug Love Triangle, with Apologies to Rod Stewart
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Debo Hobo Reply:
September 22nd, 2008 at 7:37 am
I use Askimet, yes, this ‘one’ just got passed it. I thought about just deleting it but I did not want to appear to be censoring my blog.
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dcr Reply:
September 22nd, 2008 at 9:16 am
It’s not censorship if it’s spam.
dcrs last blog post..An Assassin Bug Love Triangle, with Apologies to Rod Stewart
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Debo Hobo Reply:
September 25th, 2008 at 8:23 am
You are absolutely correct. Thanks
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