Do you ever go back and look at old photos of yourself and find yourself flooded with emotions?

When I was in my 20s, I was full of life. I was invincible and carefree and, I had no idea what sort of things stood before me. Maybe if knew what was coming, I would have handled them a little differently.

When I look at photos of my younger self, I see so much hope in her eyes. She still has hope now that she's in her 40s, but she hasn't always picked the easiest path in life.

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If I could go back in time and have a chat with this young woman, there are some things that I would tell her.

 

  • 1

    Stop Mentally Ripping Yourself Apart

    Despite the lies that your mind is feeding you, you are not fat and you certainly aren't ugly and even if you were, it would have no bearing on your character. Stop mentally ripping yourself apart because the hurt from being so critical about your appearance will stick with you for the rest of your life.

  • 2

    Celebrate Your Youthful Body

    Wear a bikini, put on a mini skirt. Show off those legs! Enjoy your beautiful figure because, in 15 years, your body will give you a child and change in ways you can't even fathom. Things will shift and droop and expand. Once your son is born, your life will be so insane that yoga pants and hoodies will be your go-to outfits. Enjoy cute outfits now!

  • 3

    Stop Pushing People Away

    Stop pushing your family and friends to the side for your career. Trust me, your career won't be as loyal to you as you are to it, but your family and friends will be. Hold on to them and tightly.

  • 4

    Save Your Money

    You don't need that fancy sports car. Seriously. Invest your money instead of spending it on frivolous things like a dumb car that doesn't even get you where you need to go in the snow. Smarten up. Save and invest. You don't know this now, but in 13 years, your life is going to crash and you will have to rebuild it from scratch. If you set some money aside now, your future life rebuild won't feel as suffocating.

  • 5

    Run From the Sweet-Talker

    Run! Run from the sweet-talking narcissist. Sure, he might know all the right words to say, but all he's really going to do is steal your beautiful light and leave you feeling dead inside. Wait. Wait for the quiet man who looks at you like you're the only woman in the world. He's the one. I promise you.

  • 6

    Stop Pretending

    Stop putting a smile on your face and pretending that things are great when they aren't. This doesn't mean you should spew out your problems or walk around being nasty. It just means that when your family asks how you are, tell them. Tell them the truth so that they can love, comfort, and help you. You see, they already know, but they're waiting for you to open up to them. They're waiting for the unspoken signal from you so they can help you escape the situation you're in now.

  • 7

    Loosen Up

    Loosen up and learn to roll with the punches because sometimes the only saving grace in a bad situation is laughter.

  • 8

    Slow Down

    I know life is exciting and you want to be constantly on the go, but allow yourself some peaceful moments, too. Buy that book you've had your eye on, grab a blanket, and go lay in the sunshine and get lost in literature. Also, go visit with your loved ones. Time stops for no one. Sweet girl, work and responsibilities will always be there, but your loved ones won't be and when you hit your 40s, you are going to have deep regrets for not being there for them while they were still alive.

  • 9

    Go On Vacation

    Take your hard-earned vacation time instead of giving it back to your company and travel. Stop making excuses. Get your passport and go see the world. Your longing to travel will never go away, but travel will be harder once you become a mom.

  • 10

    Stay the Course

    Your love life is going to be a bumpy road filled with potholes so deep that at times you'll feel like you're being swallowed whole. You aren't. Stay the course because one day, your dreams will come true. As a matter of fact, one of your friendships is going to develop into an unexpected and beautiful love story. The kind of love story that Hollywood makes into movies

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