A Letter From My 70-Year Old Self

Dear young self,

Hi!

I know you don't believe it but I'm YOU, just from the future. Yes, it's me, your 70-year old self. And I know what you're thinking, because I know you better than anyone else in the world and, well… we're literally the same person. I'm writing you because I want to remind you that you are worth so much more than you think you are. I know it's hard to believe right now, but that doesn't make it any less true.

I know you can't see me now, but I promise you I'm here—and I'm so glad to be writing you this letter! Because I've been waiting such a long time to share my wisdom and advice with you, and let you know how much you mean to me: so much that I'm going to spend the rest of my life trying to get this letter to you.

First of all, I am immensely proud of the person you've become. You've accomplished so much in your life—I honestly can't believe it's me who's saying this, but you are literally living my dream life. Thank you for taking care of yourself and for doing such a wonderful job of honoring my most cherished goals and desires.

Look at you, all grown up and stuff. I just wanted to write and let you know that everything is going to be okay. I know that right now, things feel a little uncertain—like you're not sure what's going to happen next or how this is all going to end up. But I promise, it's all going to work out.

In fact, the future is looking great right now. You're 70 years old and you've had a long life full of things that make you proud. And even though it feels like sometimes nobody sees what you do, it matters. It really does. I know this because when I look back at my life, there are so many things I wish I could have told myself when I was 20 years old. But here are just a few things I've learned over the last 50 years:

Don't hold back! I know that sometimes it's easier to take the road less traveled, but it doesn't mean that it's the right one. Go after what you want in life with vigor, and don't be stingy with your time or energy when it comes to making your dreams come true. You will never regret giving 100% on something, even if you fail in the end. But maybe failure isn't even a thing anymore, who knows?

You are worthy of asking for what you want. You shouldn't worry about inconveniencing other people—just be honest and kind and direct in your requests, and let other people deal with how they feel.

It's okay to be selfish. It's okay to be selfish sometimes. Seriously, if we're all not kind to ourselves, how are we ever going to be kind to other people?

Don't worry so much about the small stuff—you'll look back and laugh at how stressed out you were over a spilled cup of coffee or a small argument with your friend. It'll work out (or it won't) and there's no point in worrying about things that are out of your control or haven't happened yet.

Get more sleep, take better care of yourself, and turn off your phone more often. Seriously, it'll help with everything else in your life if you just take care of yourself a little bit more and get enough sleep at night.

Try to spend more time with yourself and less time with people who drain you, and if you're working a job that doesn't fulfill you—quit it. You're doing great! Work at a job you love. Stop telling yourself that you have no regrets when in reality, you have lots of them but you don't want to think about them too much because it makes you feel guilty.

I know you're feeling a little lost right now. You have this feeling that there's something you need to be doing, but you don't know what it is. I know that sometimes it feels like things will always be this way—but they won't!  Remember that your life matters. Your existence is not an accident: each of us has a purpose in this world (whether or not we know what that purpose is).

I'm writing this letter to remind you of the things that are easy to forget when life seems overwhelming. I'm so proud of everything that's happened in your life so far—but I'm even more excited for the things that are yet to come! So keep moving forward, because the future is unwritten and now is the time to write it! Write your own story however you want it to go—you can be anything!

See you in 50 years!

Sincerely,

Your 70-year old self

Lead image edited in canva

© 2022 frdchckn. All Rights Reserved.