Advice I’d Give My Younger Self

So today I land smack dab in the middle of my 30s and as I look back on the last ten years there are definitely some pieces of advice I would love to impart on myself. Ten years ago I had just finished my BSc in Geographical Sciences, became a mom, and moved to a new city. It was such a scary, uncertain time and honestly, I wouldn’t want to go back to it.

Early/mid 20s are such a challenging time where you feel like you should have it all figured out, you are trying to carve your own path but have no idea where that path will lead, and it’s also the time (at least for me) where you really start pulling away from your parents, their path, and their expectations for you. If I can give one strong piece of advice to anyone at any age reading this – no one has it all figured out. That just isn’t how life works. Each day, month, year, decade has its own host of challenges that we haven’t faced yet. There is no list of rules, no standardized guide book. We are all stumbling through one day at a time!

So here are my top 20 tips/pieces of advice I would tell my younger self:

1. I will never maintain a  journal. I may covet them, collect them, fondle them, and idolize perfect gel pens … but I’m never going to have the mental fortitude to keep up the practice.

2. No awards are given for finishing books you aren’t liking.

3. You aren’t everyone’s cup of tea … that’s okay.

4. There is more. There is always more. When you find yourself sad that you’ve experienced all the major life moments – that your kids are growing, that you are aging –  there is always more good coming.

5. Everyone has cellulite. (Okay, maybe not everyone, but pretty much everyone).

6. Get in the pictures.

7. I’m impatient. That just isn’t going anywhere. Stop trying to hide your shortcomings and just embrace them … they become a lot easier to control when you do.

8. Life is too short to wear boring clothes. Wear something with dinosaurs on it, who cares who gets it!

9. Life is hard for everyone. It is important to remember this when it feels the world is dumping on you … everyone has their time in the dark.

10. You aren’t going to be a perfect parent. Find the things you excel at and knock that out of the park. Screw the rest. You aren’t a “jack of all trades”.

11. Instagram is a lie. A picture is a microsecond of time and real life exists outside those frames. Stop comparing yourself to these slices of modified perfection.

12. There are more kind people in the world than not, even if the news will have you believe otherwise.

13. Take care of your teeth, visit the dentist.

14. Sleep is a superpower. (Still working on this one, tbh)

15. Find someone who finds you fascinating and whom you want to hang out with more than anyone else.

16. I will never look like Zooey with bangs. Bangs really are just a cry out of overwhelming emotions boiling beneath the surface.

17. Laugh at mommy-wars, never join in. (See #10).

18. Pancakes are better for supper.

19. Don’t be afraid to try. Trying and not liking something is not failing.

20. Make sure your goals are actually YOUR goals and you’re not just trying to please, compete, or keep up with societal/parental/peer pressure.