If I Could Turn Back Time – Letter to My 15 Year Old Self
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If I could turn back time and send a letter to my 15 year old self, there is so much I would love to say. There are things I could have done differently, things I would have worried less about, things I would have enjoyed more. And I could have understood more about myself that unfortunately only comes from experience through life.
When we’re young, we hardly ever want to listen to the words spoken by those who have had more life experience. It doesn’t make sense or doesn’t seem applicable. Or it will never happen. Or they’re too old to understand.
It is only when we become older that their words in fact ring truer than we ever wanted to admit and often find ourselves thinking maybe we should have listened. But I guess then, we wouldn’t have had the experience and learned it for ourselves.
I often wish I could go back in time to my teenage years, a time I didn’t like very much, and do it all over again, knowing what I do now. But if I could change where I came from, chances are I wouldn’t be the person I am today.
Because all our experiences and dark times can make us stronger. We strive for more to be in a better place. Without those hard times, the good times wouldn’t be as bright or feel as fulfilled
But there will always be those things that we wish we knew at the time. Something that would have made things that little bit easier, or a mistake that we wished never happened.
So I often think back on times in life where I had a choice to make and wonder what my life might have been should I have a chosen a different option. But that’s the thing about life, you’ll never know where that other road might have taken you. All you can do is wonder. Well I do, anyway.
Even though I know there are things I can’t change, there are things I’ve picked up or learned over the years that I wish I had known back then.
Not necessarily to change things, but it would have made life a lot easier and made a huge difference to my self-esteem.
So if I could go back in time, and send a letter to my 15 year old self, this is what I would say.
- Don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t deserve to be here.
- Learn to stand up for yourself. Because if you don’t, who will?
- Find something you love to do, and hold onto it. Never let go of your dreams.
- Work out what you want to be in life and don’t let anyone talk you out of it.
- Don’t get wrapped up in what other people think of you – at the end of the day their opinions don’t matter, and it’s their issue not yours.
- Don’t allow your fears to control your life.
- You never lose until you stop trying.
- Your thoughts are more powerful than you think, so make sure they are positive.
- Trust your intuition.
- If you are doing your best, no one can ask any more from you.
- Don’t be anyone’s door mat. You are worth more than that.
- Don’t shy away from the things that scare you. Embrace it and it will make you stronger.
- If you want to succeed, you have to take the chance and take that first step.
- When you put your mind to it, you are unstoppable.
- Don’t worry about failing, treat it like a lesson and learn from it. Life is full of lessons. Don’t let your worry about failing stop you from trying in the first place.
- Learn to let things go – negative energies are like poison coursing through your veins every day. It’s not worth it.
- Let go of the idea of perfection. It doesn’t exist. It’s unattainable.
- Don’t compare yourself to anyone. All it does is steals your happiness.
- Don’t let anxiety or worrying rule your life.
- Don’t live in your comfort zone. Nothing good ever happens there.
- No matter what anyone says, you are enough.
Here’s a few quotes I love that are worth remembering.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.” – Albert Einstein
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“If you can dream it, you can do it” – Walt Disney
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says, ‘I’m possible’. – Audrey Hepburn
They may not be ground-breaking or life changing, but they may have made my high school experience easier, less scary and given me the confidence that I’ve slowly been gaining over the years.
So much of our lives are wasted on worry, regrets and things we wish hadn’t happened.
But maybe sometimes it helps to remember that there is a lot more to life, and how we perceive it can make a huge difference.
If you could go back in time and change things, or tell yourself something, would you? What would you do differently?
September 9, 2018 @ 8:39 am
This is really awesome. I’d probably tell my 15 year old self to be careful who you’re around and to take life slower. And to keep doing that YouTube channel cause you’d be rich by now ??
September 12, 2018 @ 8:25 am
Those are great ones. We don’t often think about how the people around us have affected or influenced our lives, and not always for the better. Life goes by too fast and just seems to fly by quicker and quicker. Would have been good to know to slow down.
September 9, 2018 @ 8:42 am
Awesome post! Thanks for sharing. Hindsight can be a real bitch sometimes!
September 9, 2018 @ 3:13 pm
Even though we can’t turn back time, this is a way of you paying it forward. Very inspirational.
September 11, 2018 @ 4:37 pm
I love this post idea. Wouldn’t it be great to go back with the knowledge you have now? I’d have done things so differently. However, I would have never gained such knowledge if I hadn’t experienced what I did.
September 13, 2018 @ 12:45 pm
This is beautiful! We learn so much as we get older! I love the quotes you shared.
September 19, 2018 @ 9:47 am
Thank you.
September 13, 2018 @ 1:36 pm
Given a chance..most of us would love to go back in time…..back to carefree childhood.
Beautiful article..
Thank you
September 13, 2018 @ 2:00 pm
Thanks for sharing this! “Let go of the idea of perfection. It doesn’t exist. It’s unattainable.” YES 100x!
September 13, 2018 @ 5:36 pm
Even though, like you, there were hard times I wouldn’t change a thing. I feel like all the experiences I went through molded me into the person I am now and I think I’m pretty awesome. I wouldn’t want to take the chance of messing up who I am now.
September 16, 2018 @ 11:52 am
This is a great piece for everyone. I wish I could talk to my younger self and tell her so much. However, without all my negatives and moments I would not be who I am now. I am torn! Great piece
September 19, 2018 @ 9:19 am
That can be the issue, can’t it? If you changed the dark or negative times in your life, you wouldn’t be who you are now. I don’t want to change who I am now, but I think I would have got through it better had I known what I do now.
September 16, 2018 @ 12:54 pm
Very great read! I wish I could turn back time for various. Like you said some of our darkest times make us stronger. That is so true. I would definitely give myself the same advice as you mentioned.
September 19, 2018 @ 9:14 am
Yes, it makes us stronger. But sometimes you just wish those dark times could have been a bit more bearable.
September 16, 2018 @ 3:44 pm
Hello! Such a great post. Just know your not alone. So many of us wish we could do it again. If only life came with a rewind button! That would be so nice!
Great post!!!
September 19, 2018 @ 9:07 am
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. A rewind button would be nice at times.
September 20, 2018 @ 9:45 am
Such good points. I think a common theme as we get older is that we realize we have been too hard on ourselves and that we should have been nicer and gentler with ourselves growing up. Wouldn’t it have been nice if we had realized that then? It was fun reading this post and can’t wait to see what else you share. Best of luck!
October 4, 2018 @ 3:50 pm
Great article. How true it is that most of us when we reflect back to our younger self there is usually at least one thing that we hope we did differently. Thanks for sharing!
October 4, 2018 @ 12:43 pm
Great post, I respect the fact that your advice is practical to personal growth not event driven or money motivated. It’s the right things to focus on. And you can certainly apply them no for the you 15 years in the future
May 25, 2019 @ 1:53 pm
Love the idea for the article. I would actually go back a little further to age 10 or so 🙂
Great article!
May 27, 2019 @ 5:12 am
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed it. Going back further is a great idea too.
June 21, 2019 @ 6:40 pm
This is so beautiful and I am don’t on board with all the advice you’re giving your younger self. Specifically not allowing anyone to make you feel like you don’t deserve to be here. I think as teenagers we all could have done with hearing that.