Another hashtag, I know. But can we appreciate the fact that I'm on a blogging roll?! I've been doing pretty good this year- hopefully it carries on!
Anyway, I've seen this 'tag' going around on Youtube for International Women's Day (which was yesterday), where basically women/girls talked about what advice they would say to their younger self. I figured this was a great idea, but I don't have a Youtube channel to post a video on, so I'm just blog about it.
Here are some things I would tell my younger self...even though I'm still kinda young lol.
1. Stop thinking about what you think other people are thinking about you.
I think this is something that a lot of people go through, and I still struggle with today. When I was much younger, I didn't want to do anything that was out of the ordinary because I was worried of what people would say. I was a pretty shy and anxious kid with no friends, so I was worried I wasn't going to get any friends if I did something 'odd' or different. That was my earliest memory of being worried about that. It still worries me these days, I would 'feel' people judgy eyes on me and suddenly think I'm psychic. But when I'm not thinking about this, and I'm not caring what people think, I feel absolutely free to do what ever I want. You can't please everyone, and you're not here to please people.
I think this is something that a lot of people go through, and I still struggle with today. When I was much younger, I didn't want to do anything that was out of the ordinary because I was worried of what people would say. I was a pretty shy and anxious kid with no friends, so I was worried I wasn't going to get any friends if I did something 'odd' or different. That was my earliest memory of being worried about that. It still worries me these days, I would 'feel' people judgy eyes on me and suddenly think I'm psychic. But when I'm not thinking about this, and I'm not caring what people think, I feel absolutely free to do what ever I want. You can't please everyone, and you're not here to please people.
2. Don't compare yourself, You're good enough
Fast forward to a couple years from the previous point, and I'm a teenager, with a passion for acting and singing. In my group of friends, I was surrounded by amazing talent, and me being me, did not want to be in the spotlight at all. Whenever my friends sang (cause that's just what we did), I would not sing to my full potential...because I just didn't want people to think I was a show off and I didn't feel like I was as good, or good enough, so I just didn't bring any attention to myself. And then I had two of my closest friends who were really into drama (acting), like me. They were crowned best actresses in my year, and they convinced me that I was as good as them, but I didn't believe that. I always felt like what I had to offer wasn't good enough, so I would never put a 100% out there.
But similarly to the first point, just be yourself, for yourself. Put all of it out there if it's what you want, and do not compare yourself to others. Ever.
Fast forward to a couple years from the previous point, and I'm a teenager, with a passion for acting and singing. In my group of friends, I was surrounded by amazing talent, and me being me, did not want to be in the spotlight at all. Whenever my friends sang (cause that's just what we did), I would not sing to my full potential...because I just didn't want people to think I was a show off and I didn't feel like I was as good, or good enough, so I just didn't bring any attention to myself. And then I had two of my closest friends who were really into drama (acting), like me. They were crowned best actresses in my year, and they convinced me that I was as good as them, but I didn't believe that. I always felt like what I had to offer wasn't good enough, so I would never put a 100% out there.
But similarly to the first point, just be yourself, for yourself. Put all of it out there if it's what you want, and do not compare yourself to others. Ever.
3. No Wallowing and Work Hard
I'm not lazy, but I do sometimes lack motivation. I tend to wallow in my sadness, and instead of picking myself up, I dig a whole do bury myself in. Doing that, puts fixing my problems, on hold. When I say working hard, I mean doing everything I can do not let things hit me so hard. Work hard to pick yourself up if you do get knocked over and fix the problem. Nothing comes easy, and you can't cut corners in life.
I'm not lazy, but I do sometimes lack motivation. I tend to wallow in my sadness, and instead of picking myself up, I dig a whole do bury myself in. Doing that, puts fixing my problems, on hold. When I say working hard, I mean doing everything I can do not let things hit me so hard. Work hard to pick yourself up if you do get knocked over and fix the problem. Nothing comes easy, and you can't cut corners in life.
4. Keep a diary
Lastly, I would tell my younger self to keep a diary. Not start one, and forget to write in it. I don't talk about it much, but I actually have a massive chunk of my memory missing from my childhood- my little brother remembers things where I was supposedly there, but I just can't remember them. I'm pretty sure if I had kept a diary, I probably would've started remembering things. But aside from the memory issue, keeping a diary is generally a good thing to do. Not only is it therapeutic because it allows you to pour out your heart and soul, but is a physical proof of your progress.It shows how you've change, and could help you solve future problems ...there are so many advantages.
Lastly, I would tell my younger self to keep a diary. Not start one, and forget to write in it. I don't talk about it much, but I actually have a massive chunk of my memory missing from my childhood- my little brother remembers things where I was supposedly there, but I just can't remember them. I'm pretty sure if I had kept a diary, I probably would've started remembering things. But aside from the memory issue, keeping a diary is generally a good thing to do. Not only is it therapeutic because it allows you to pour out your heart and soul, but is a physical proof of your progress.It shows how you've change, and could help you solve future problems ...there are so many advantages.
What advice would you tell your younger self?
Leslie
Here's some of my favourite #DearMe videos:
EssieButton: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHDKGtp70SQ
Shameless Maya: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgQPWlHhqf0
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