Hey 20 year old me, we’re not the same person. Well, we are… but so much has happened in the past fifteen years that we’re different. So different.
I love myself at 20 {I didn’t love myself back then}. I was fun and always up for a good time, yet fiercely loyal to the families that I nannied, and totally into my own family too. I was living in a share house filled with people I met through a newspaper, in a run-down, but beautiful, house right on the harbour on the north shore.
My advice to myself wouldn’t be about money, or jobs, or study, or lovers. It wouldn’t be about investing in properties {ha!} or spending my weekends on things other than dancing to retro music in the city.
Instead it would be this:
What if you were enough? What if you didn’t need to do anything, or lose however many kilograms, or achieve X, Y or Z before you could consider yourself remotely enough? What about that?
Can you consider that for a moment?
Because you are enough. You are so freaking enough. You’re enough with your job that love waking up each morning to go to. You’re enough with your less than perfect, perfectly perfect body. You are the youngest you’ll ever be from this day forward, and that is an amazing thing. You’re healthy, and strong. You’re smart and witty. Own it.
You are enough. You are enough at 20. You’ll be enough at 30. And you are absolutely enough at 35. There will never be a time when you reach a point, when one day you wake up and suddenly become enough, like you’ve achieved all the things, hit perfection and have done it all, conquering the game of life. It’s just not going to happen. So know, right now, you are enough.
Know that.
I asked my beautiful family what advice they’d give their 20 year old selves, and they told it to me straight. It’s over in the Bupa Blue Room. Pop over and check out my family {spoiler alert: they’re gorgeous!}, and see what wise words they shared.
What advice would you give your 20 year old self?
Awesome advice. I was thinking about the same thing when I woke this morning. 🙂 Life is too short to live with hangups. xo
It is! I bloody need to give myself a pep talk most days to see it. I wish it was easier!
A-freaking-men! Gosh lady, you have such a wonderful way with words and this post spoke straight to my heart. x
You are totally enough!
I would tell my 20 year old self that I’m not the sum of incest and poor parenting, that no one is better than anyone and that everyone has a history. The future is bright and joy makes you giddy with love for love…something that’s totally possible. Oh and I loved a beret too…totes cool X
20! I cringe just thinking about it! I’d tell me that I’m enough too. Not too stupid, not too uncool, not too skinny. I’d tell me to get out there with that fantastic group of girlfriends & party!! Forget about boys, they’ll come later & the idea of wanting the right one right now is ruining your mojo!!!! 😉
I’d say ‘hang in there mate, you won’t blame yourself forever. And ease off on the port and lemonade”
But I knew everything at 20! Ha! I would love to tell myself ‘you are you, not you and him, not you and her, not you and them. Think of yourself and not the herd.’