A Letter To 16 Year Old Me

In light of my birthday coming up next week I wanted my next few posts to not only reflect on the past but act as incentive and an alignment referral for the future.  The process of writing a letter to my past, present and future self definitely helped to re-evaluate where I’m at and where I’m going.

So what advice would you give to your younger self?

Dear Kaitlyn,

or at this current point in time, Kaz….

First off I would like to start by completely disregarding a myth that everyone keeps telling you. That is that ‘high school years are the best years of your life’. This is an absolute fib for your case anyway! High school is unnecessarily hard! Please know that the second you graduate your world expands wonders and when it does you will begin to feel hope and excitement like you never have before.

In the meantime, please oh please!, stop listening to your parents, friends, society and all those who contribute to the pressure you put on yourself to constantly overachieve. Despite what you believe, getting a ‘B’ is an awesome thing and the stress that you’re putting on yourself believing otherwise is not only completely unnecessary but also hindering what could be some incredible years of your life.

Please remember that you are beyond beautiful, and not because of how you look but the perspective you have to offer. The aspects of yourself you hate most like your boobs (or lack of), nose and eyes are going to become such miniscule concerns in comparison to the parts of yourself that you truly value.

Leading into university/late teens you have no idea how beautifully messy your life is about to become. Don’t shy away or stress over the unknown, lean into the discomfort and embrace it.

You believe that your diversity of interests and the multifaceted nature of your personality is a flaw because you feel you can’t master anything. When in actual fact embracing this is what’s going to align you with yourself most.

The sooner you realise just how little you know the more beautiful life becomes. You feel the sparks you do for a reason, follow them.

Take note of the feeling you feel while looking out the train window in England and Holland the first time. That peace you think you feel just because you are on ‘holidays’. Well that is able to be felt inside you always.

And just when you start to think you’re figuring yourself out you will study abroad and change the entire way you approach life- for the much, much better! I am beyond excited for you to experience this enlightenment.

The shift in mindset and self dialogue will guide you to find peace in the concept that simultaneously you have so much and so little time.

If there is any two things to be taken from this letter it’s that firstly, things ALWAYS work out. Simple but so powerful. Things will always get done. The assignment will get finished, the situation will get resolved, the angst will ease and the relationship/friendship will always work out how it’s supposed to. Your over thinking and stress is unnecessary so stop taking yourself so seriously.

Lastly, stop waiting and looking forward for things to be over. Stop looking forward to when you finish the assignment; the semester; high school; each shift at work; the soccer season; even childhood in general. Stop looking forward for these parts of your life to end, only excited for ‘what’s to come’ and ‘your life to start’, because those moments you’re letting pass by are the ones that make up your life! Stop always complaining about how fast life goes and then only look forward for what’s to come. You won’t truly appreciate what is! You’re going to reach a time when you pause and realise, wishing you had have absorbed the entirety of particular moments. So salvage them.

Feel all the emotions of the moment. Embrace all the rawness in others. And love wholeheartedly and vulnerably.

Love your not so distant-future self.

P.S. You will grow out of the chubby phase I promise.