If you could deliver a letter to yourself at age 25, what would you tell yourself?
While you might default to advice like which team won the Superbowl or “buy Apple at IPO” or the Mega Millions lottery number, you only have a limited number of words to relate what you’ve learned—and what you want your young self to know.
Here’s mine:
Dear Michael,
I am writing you from my 67 years on this planet and want to share a few thoughts from what I’ve learned:
- Try not to take yourself so seriously, life does not need to be joyless.
- Listen more and react less to stimuli provided by others. They don’t matter beyond the opportunity to learn.
- Forgive others for what they’ve done to you. Carrying that shit around is a waste and eats up your soul.
- Be more vulnerable; being the strong, tough and demonstrably angry guy just shuts you away from experiencing feelings.
- The problems you experience are all there for you to learn and grow; look at them as important lessons.
- Love yourself more; self-loathing or feeling ‘less than’ is a terrible way to go through life.
- You deserve to be happy, loved and appreciated.
With love,
Yourself
What would you write? I’d love it if you’d share.
