Note to younger self..

So a couple of days ago, it dawned on me. “I’ve been on this earth for 24…almost 25 years, and a lot has happened. Many ups and downs. I have made terrible decisions and made many wise decisions. Through it all, it’s been quite a bumpy ride….not always tho. So, i thought…..What advice would i give to my younger self? My younger self from like 10 years ago, 5 years ago, heck….even a year ago.”

I extended this to my friends, and i did receive lots of responses(which you can see throughout this post), which i am thankful for. It was amazing to see how this question, made people think deeply from their experiences thus far. I was actually proud of myself, because one friend actually said to me that he doesn’t usually do this but he’ll send me something...another friend also said “babe, ill be honest for you.

“know your worth and never let someone else make you feel like you’re not worth it . In friendships or relationships when you see red flags trust your gut and flee those circumstances”

“never loose yourself in any form of a relationship. Be it romantic, friendly or family. Always stay true to who you are.”

“Do not freak out about the lemons life throws at you. stay strong and believe God will help you make lemonade outta them.”

“Hold onto your values and do not waiver just to please ppl.”

“expect nothing from no one. Life goes on. Trust God more.”

“It never gets easier.”

“Be you no matter what, and if your friends/loved one don’t like the real you, then they never really held it down with/for you”

“Be patient, enjoy life and let God put you where you’re meant to be”

• As Charles Dickens said at the beginning of his book , A tale of two cities, ‘It was the best of times, and the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness’. In all honesty, growing up really is one of the toughest and also most exciting times of your life…life is a mixture of both extremes; Charles Dickens never lied..lol. No matter what you do in life, no matter how careful you are not to falter, you will make mistakes. But this is not permanent. (Jeremiah 8:4)

 “life is not a competition. Chill and be a kid.”

“Make more use of the opportunities God has given to you, be more self aware and insightful. And I’d also tell myself to never forget the bigger picture in every area of life, school, friendships and the rest.”

“To learn how to forgive and be more curious”

” keep on keeping on because you really have nothing to lose keep your faith and truly do what you believe in and never lose sight of God”

“stay focused on school. Do not rush to get things done because everyone else is doing it. I would tell my younger self to find what makes me happy plan ahead for the future. I would also tell myself I’m beautiful and to love me first.”

“Put God first all the time, Don’t do drugs, live a healthy life!!”

“A bad choice is always a bad choice even if it helps you in someway”

“.stop worrying everything will be fine. Stop focusing your time and energy on missed opportunities and try to create new ones. Continue being a hard worker cos it definitely pays off and be nice to everyone.”

• Eventually, the tide will turn and life will be more amazing than you ever thought possible. The fact is, life teaches us. So what we need to do is, be good students and learn hard as we’re being taught. Revise your notes constantly so you will be ready to pass a test, when you have one. Let us be that overachiever in the class, be that inquisitive student. That’s the only way to reduce the pain, disappointment, anger…etc you would feel when tested.

“value ur mom!!!!”

“life too short to be stressing…let go and let God”

“You really are as smart as you think you are..don’t ever let up, and you’ll be just fine..also quit being a hoe”

“Don’t have sex too early😪”

“Take advantage of the opportunities around you.”

” be confident in myself and not let opinions of others or pleasing of others make me change who I am or change my standards.”

“For most of my life, I never really spoke out as much as I could, most times it was because of my personality and on some occasions it was because I seem to have lost my voice. The advice I would give to my younger self would be to never lose your voice. I went through an experience during college that shook my entire worldview, altered my personality and in the moment that mattered the most, I could not speak up. If I could go back there as an angel on my shoulder, I’d scream into my younger self’s ear to “speak up! Let your voice be heard! Because in the end, the person will never know how you truly feel. I no longer want to live a life that is not completely honest. I should not have to apologize for being me and My goal would be  to try and teach my younger self that.”

• As we share our advice to younger versions of ourselves, I think the best way to sum it up is to go back to our manual on this earth(BIBLE), because in life you cannot effectively operate a device without constantly going back to check what the manual says. Yes, even when you feel you know how to operate a certain device, you go back to verify whether your knowledge was correct. So, as such:
• “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.“(James 1:12), “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.“(James 1:2-4)

“Uhhh I would say constantly explore. Question what you want, never settle for anything that doesn’t sit well with you and empathy is never a weakness. Your mental health is important also.”

“I would have told young self that God’s thoughts revolve around you, he has planned your every step and delights in you. He has not given you a spirit of fear, but power, love and a sound mind. And little one, Jesus is so so real. He really is. You may have heard his name thrown around in Ghanaian or Nigerian movies 😂, you may have thought it uncool to associate with this Jesus. But He is everything ❤”

“Don’t second guess yourself.”

“be strong and confident and not let any negativity gotten from just one person to dictate my life and bring me down.”

“continue to be the realistic person that you are. Realize that you are in a unique position and don’t take advice from everyone because no one will ever fully understand where you’re coming from”

What has your path in life taught you? Do you have a different perspective of life, now? Do you still desire the same things, people? Are you proud of the person you are now, after learning from life’s trials?

So if you could turn back the clock and give advice to your younger self, what would it be?