An Advice to My 22-year-old Self

To  My 22-year-old Self:

Smile! You survived a decade of  navigating through life!

If I would be given a  chance to change anything in that decade we’re apart, I would not change anything. Aside from I would  save all the photos you uploaded on Friendster and Multiply and take screenshots of your friend’s testimonials…

Yes, those social media platforms do not exist anymore! And  the 22 year old of today may not know that these sites exist.

I would not  change anything but I can give  you a piece of advice from your 10 year wiser, heavier and prettier self.  

• Don’t be afraid to fail, you will fail later on in your life anyways. When you are too scared to fail, what’s known to you are just your FEAR but not your true self. Surprise! You failed a lot in the last decade but you learned so much from it.  Your failures are part and parcel of the person that you are now. Failures made me realize that my ego can sabotage success. Don’t be scared of failure, be most afraid of failing to succeed just because you are too afraid to fail ­
• Probably you feel like a noob in your career. As a fresh graduate and a rookie in the real world of adults,  you feel that you know nothing. Remember your  first day at class in university when you walked through the hallway feeling so insignificant and unknown? That’s what your world looked like right now but 10 years later,  you will still walk through unknown hallways and probably you will still be walking many unfamiliar corridors and alleys decades from now, and that’s okay. It’s okay not to know everything. Everyday in your life, you will learn something new. Never stop exploring and never be scared to ask about the things you don’t know.
• Never forget your dreams!  Okay, welcome to the real world! Sooner or later, you will realize that  your timeline does not 100% work with the world’s timing and the dreams you built when you were 17 is  far or  out of your reach now. You can recalculate your goals and timeline but never forget your dreams. Your dreams may or may not be fulfilled exactly as how you desired it to be but  remembering them can give you willpower and grit when you lose them at present.
• Relationship changes through time but never burn bridges no matter how  painful or disappointing it becomes. Learn to accept that your decisions and the other person’s decisions can  affect your relationship. Learn to know which relationships are worth pursuing and which are meant to let go. Letting go and change are part of growth. Some of the relationships that you have now are not meant to be in your future. And that is okay, you will build fruitful friendships along the way. All relationships are valuable,  build memories to cherish. The value of relationships does not change just because you chose to move forward with your life.
• Love is  a grace and  grace produces fruits. When you truly love, it will bear fruits even if some “love” caused you pain.  Never be scared to love, never be scared to get hurt. Be more scared to confront your what ifs and end up wondering, “if only I chose to love a little bit braver”. Love even if it hurts. Love yourself a little bit more, this will make you a little bit braver.

I would  still not change  anything in the last decade but if only I have realized these things at twenty-two, I would not go through the unnecessary humps, bumps and turns.

But then… if I have learned these things when I was 22, I would not have sensible advice to write right now, cause  my only advice left would be… never ever ever post ugly photos in any of your social media platforms! “Cause your friends and families will use it to greet you on your birthday!

Have a great adventure! Fall in love with God a little bit more each day!

PS: How about you ? what advice would you give to your younger self? Share to us  in the comment section !

Crystha Shayne

A Catholic Lay Missionary who travels the world to share her story with God. She believes that life in Christ is a beautiful adventure. 

crysthashayne.com