With the new year, many people reflect back on the previous year. I took this as an opportunity to reach out to 50 people and ask them, "What's one thing you would tell your younger self?" While the majority of the people I texted were people around my same age, I was able to talk to a few adults who have some much needed wisdom as well. Most of the answers were about being yourself, not trying to fit in, "just doing you", and pushing yourself to be a better you than you are now. With all that being said, here are the responses I got ...
"Don't get too close to the dog or it's gonna bite you." // Lisa
"Always knock." // Becca
"Be patient and wait for God's plan to play out. Actively be in prayer and be patient for His plan. When God says He has a plan for you in Jeremiah 29:11, it's not a joke. His plans are far better than anything I could ever think of. So just be patient and don't try to take things into your own hands because those are mistakes waiting to happen." // Hannah
"Just go with your gut instinct. Things aren't always going to work out perfectly, you might screw up here and there, and someone is always going to disagree with your decision. Just do what feels right, follow that path, and never look back." // Nina
"Be more willing to take risks and expand your horizons." // Zach
"Follow your heart and not your mind; it will take you to places you love instead of places you think you love." // David
"Don't worry and relax!" // Eric
"Follow your dreams and don't care about what anyone thinks about you because it doesn't matter one bit." // Kyle
"Don't put as much pressure on yourself to succeed and that you would have realized that no matter what you do, God's plan will come over it." // Emily
"Always listen to your parents because they know what's best for you." // Dani
"It doesn't matter how many friends you have. It's more about the quality of friendships you have with your friends. You always wanted to have so many friends, but now you're realizing that you wouldn't trade your deep friendships you have now with having a ton of friends." // Gina
"Be confident, be bold, and be brave. Have fun and let go, it's easy to get caught up in the small things, but in the end, as long as you're happy, you're doing alright!" // Ellie
"Don't be afraid to fail. When you love something you love, don't be afraid to chase your dreams. Love the people around you and seek to understand them for who they are." // Aimee
"You're amazing, valuable, and beautiful even without a boy telling you those things." // Jane
"Sometimes not fitting in doesn't mean you're different and that it's okay. A day will come and you will find your group." // Kelsey
"Don't slack off and push yourself to be the best you can be." // Danielle
" Take more risks. You were a little too set conscious so you worried too much and that led to inaction." // Luke
"Be the life of the party." // Corey
"If you want to succeed in something, whether it be in school or in sports, you have to put in work in school or that sports practice." // Kirstin
"Nothing is worth losing yourself over." // Regan
"The greatest relationship you'll ever have is the one you have with the Lord. It'll help guide you through all your trials on earth and help lead you to the promised land. Put aside all the distractions of drama, parental expectations, school stress, etc. and focus on your relationship with Christ because it will be what pays off the most in the long run." // Brandon
"It's okay to have a few good friends opposed to a lot of okay ones." // Jessica
"Don't be so concerned with what people think of you and to save money and not spend it on candy." // Nikki
"Have confidence and don't be so worried about what others think!" // Katie
"Don't try to fit in. You just do you and the people who are your friends will be there for you no matter what. When you try to fit in, you're fake and so are your friends and your life." // Colin
"Stand up for yourself more and instead of always doing what other people wanted you to do." // Shannon
"it's important to keep trying things outside of your comfort zone." // Konner
"Always speak your mind even if you're scared to." // Elise
"Wait to get married until you're 30." // Mike
"Stop being afraid to step outside your comfort zone and try new things." // Jenny
"Learn to kick footballs at a young age so you can be rich." // Ethan
"Don't take an education for granted because no matter how smart the system tells you that you are, you can't get anywhere in life without putting in time and hard work. Clutch your family close because before you know it, the living dynamic changes. It's okay to let your guard down, but always look out for yourself. You're going to run into heartbreak and pain, but that it's okay because any time spent is a part of your life and who you are. Don't regret anything. Learn from experiences. Never pick up a cigarette. Look for more opportunities throughout the world." // Robert
"Your future may scare you and you're probably scrambling to figure everything out, but while you're doing this, you're missing out on what is around you!" // Breanna
"Just chill out and worry about yourself. Don't get caught up in what everyone else is doing because it's more exciting to do what you want to do anyways." // Macie
"Just disregard what other people think of you. As cliche as it sounds, life truly comes down to you becoming a YOU that YOU love and surrounding yourself with people who empower you to be just that. The rest is all dead weight that will never carry anything more than superficial value." // Zack
"Take school seriously. Love yourself for who you are and not for who people expect you to be." // Jess
"Stop worrying about what other people think because half the time people don't care enough." // Abbie
"A high school relationship isn't everything, so keep your friends close." // Gretchen
"Make decisions not thinking just about the now, but the now and the future. Remember to have a set few friends that are your few and are always there." // Grace
"Be more outgoing and don't judge someone based on what you see or hear because the people you surround yourself with shape who you are and so many amazing people can have an influence on you! Have love towards all and forgive those who need to be forgiven, instead of having a disliking feeling towards them." // Darby
“Things aren’t as serious as you make them out to be. You were the type of kid to think making jokes was a waste of time and friends weren’t a necessity. Now you find that there’s fun in the world and that the best times are spent cracking jokes with friends. Also, question people and parents. You found that the people around you were always your parents and their friends and never your own friends. Branch out more and learn about various sorts of people.” // Jack
“Trust God’s plan and don’t sweat the small stuff!” //Ashlee
"Your value isn't found in what other people think of you." // Sarah
"Don't waste your time on guys who don't treat you right." // Kristen
"Don't wish to grow up too fast." // Sarah
"Don't hold so many grudges and learn to forgive others. Even if I can't forgive them and forget, I can always move on. Be honest with yourself and what you want as well as being honest to others." // Lauren
"Keep pushing forward. You can always go forward, but never backwards. Staying strong and persevering builds us up and prepares us for the future." // Parker
"Don't care about what people think of you and just be happy. Just do what makes you happy instead of trying to please everyone besides yourself." // Grant
"You shouldn't take any part of life for granted. Each and every single moment is important and essential to live life to the fullest, so focus on those moments and the stress and worries will seem so meaning less and unimportant in the grand scheme of things." // Lauren
"Be willing to risk big on what you are passionate about. To know what you are passionate about, you need to think and experience life." // Danny
