This is me as a teenager; young, naive and no concept of the ‘real world’. I’ve spent the past hour looking through photos on Facebook, why you may ask? I have no idea, I was just looking through holiday photos and the next thing I knew I was scrolling through photos of when I was in school. It got me thinking, what would I change if I could go back and what advice would I have given myself. So I’ve come up with a list of things I’d tell my teenage self.
1. There’s nothing wrong with dreaming big. In school I always felt that those who shared their ambitious dreams and plans were shot down. I remember some teachers telling students that they needed to find something more realistic that they wanted to do with their lives, I’m all for having a back up plan but basically telling someone that they can’t achieve their dreams is wrong. If there is something you want to do in life then strive towards it and work hard, who are they to say you can’t do it? No dream is too big.
2. It’s okay to not know what you want to do with your life. There is no rush, people make it sound like a marathon but it’s okay to take your time figuring out what you want to do with your life. You can change your mind as many times as you want, at the end of the day you want to do something that makes you happy, it’s completely normal for this to keep changing. Also when I was in school I didn’t realise just how many different careers that you can go into, if you feel like there is nothing you really want to do I can assure you that eventually you will discover something you love.
3. Puberty sucks but everyone is in the same boat and it will pass. Oh my gosh, puberty was not a good time for me. Suddenly my face was full of red angry spots, my eyebrows had doubled in size and I had turned from a cute little kid into an ugly duckling. I would have loved to tell myself that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and this is just a period of my life that will pass even though it may seen never-ending.
4. Don’t wear your heart on your sleeve. I used to think that everyone who was nice to me liked me and was a nice person, oh I was wrong! I found it hard to believe that there were mean people in the world and this way of thinking was not actually a good thing, it made me too trusting and naive. However, this is a lesson that I am glad I learnt from experience as it has made me the person I am today (without sounding too cliche).
5. Don’t hide who you are, it’s okay to be you and a little weird. Over the years I’ve realised that being weird isn’t actually out of the ordinary, the majority of people are weird in their own little way. It’s those little things that make you who you are and isn’t something you should hide, other people will even love you for it.
6. Your parents have your best interests at heart. Sometimes I thought it was unfair when I was younger why I couldn’t do certain things or go specific spaces, but now reflecting back I can understand why. I’ve realised that my parents were not just protecting me, but were also teaching me valuable lessons which I would need later on in life.
7. Life isn’t a fairytale and that’s okay. When I was younger I was super naive, I guess I still am a little but no where near as much as when I was in school. I know it sounds silly but I thought that everything was perfect, but now I’m 23 I have realised this is not the case at all! Even though I like that I had that naivety for such a long time, when I realised that people and the world weren’t perfect as I thought I would have liked to tell myself that it’s okay.
8. Don’t be as shy. I used to be super shy, I was fine around my close friends but around anyone who I didn’t really know I wanted to curl up in a ball. There are missed opportunities and things I wanted to try but never did for this reason, for example I’ve always wanted to do drama but this stopped me from doing that. It wasn’t until I finished school that I started to become more confident and not as shy, I wish this would have happened sooner but I’m glad it happened at this point rather than later.
8. Don’t be as shy. I used to be super shy, I was fine around my close friends but around anyone who I didn’t really know I wanted to curl up in a ball. There are missed opportunities and things I wanted to try but never did for this reason, for example I’ve always wanted to do drama but this stopped me from doing that. It wasn’t until I finished school that I started to become more confident and not as shy, I wish this would have happened sooner but I’m glad it happened at this point rather than later.
I feel that I’ve learnt so much in the past few years and will continue to learn more, even though I would have loved to go back in time to tell myself these things I’m glad I have learnt them through experience as it’s shaped who I am and most of them I wouldn’t have believed anyway. I have a super long list of things I would have told myself specifically at 18 but I’ll save that for another time. Is there anything you would have told your teenage self?
Rebecca x
haha that's an amazing post! and so true :)) I love it! Thanks for sharing!
xx
cvetybaby.com
Thank you! x
omg so adorable!!!
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Haha :)
Oh those words are so nice! Your teenage self would thank you for that. It's really motivating :)
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Thanks, glad you like it :)
Aww I'm going to remind these things always. I'm still in my teenage years and I've tried to cope up as long as I can. I learn to take risks because I'm curious on to what I can do. I want to spend my teenage years just the way I want it and look back after some years and don't regret. :) Thanks for this. Great post :)
I'm now following you on bloglovin'. Hope you'll do the same!
Looking forward to see more of your posts :)
Have a nice day, Rebecca!
xoxo,
SHAIRA
http://www.missdream-girl.blogspot.com
Glad you liked it, thank you! Good idea :D x
You are so right!
So much stuff you would have loved to now as a kid.
Really love all of it.
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http://camillajulie.dk/
Thanks! x
That's a lovely post, the thing I would tell my teenage self is to don't need to feel validated by other people, I think everyone in their teenage years is trying to get the approval of everybody else but when you stop caring, you can do amazing stuff ! :)
ibelieveinrosa.blogspot.com
Definitely agree with that, and people don't really learn that until they're not a teenager anymore which is a shame!
It's so true, it hurts! Hahaha. As a teenager, I can relate to this so much. There's this balance you have to find with everything, compromise with dreaming big and fairytales, listening to your parents and to yourself. It's difficult to find this balance but hopefully, we'll get through it <3 Great post!
xx Bash | Bash Says Hey | bloglovin'
I didn't find a balance until my 20's, but I got there eventually haha :) thanks! x
Such a heartfelt post Rebecca and hindsight is an amazing thing! There are so many things I would tell myself now but I think that has a lot to do with growing up and having a more mature outlook on life. If you weren't who you were then, you may not be who you are today :) xx
Brenda BusyBee
You summed it up perfectly :) x
I love this post, you have great points!
RachelShuchatMakeup
Thanks!
This is so perfect! Love the one that your life isn't a fairytale! So true!
<3 Shannon
Upbeat Soles
Glad you liked it! :D
Completely agree about not knowing what you want to do :) I'm 21 and I'm still figuring it out haha xx
Magpie Jasmine
I think a lot of people are still figuring it out in their 20's :) x
Love this post and especially agree that it's ok to not know what you want to do! From the ages of about 16 – 21 I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and felt pressure to take some sort of direction. Now I have things a little more figured out and I realise, people are always changing direction and that's ok, just do what makes you happy :).
Sarah xo | PolkaDotLemon
Yeah definitely, there's so much pressure and I wish more people realised that it's okay to not know what you want to do :) x
Definitely agree with all of this… and I would add that's it's okay and actually healthy if some relationships change or you lose touch with friends. :)
Erin | Erin and Katherine Talk Beauty
Definitely agree with that! :)
Great post! It is crazy what we worry about when we are younger isn't it?
Florals&Smiles
Twitter
Haha yeah definitely!
Awww yeah these are so true, and I would say the same to my self, especially not to be shy!! I was super shy…
Samantha Series
Being shy was the worst for me!
Awww yeah these are so true, and I would say the same to my self, especially not to be shy!! I was super shy…
Samantha Series
powerful words of advice!! thanks for sharing!! :D
Animated Confessions
Thanks :)
These are great tips, words of wisdom that I could even use now :) Thanks for sharing!
Mili
Glad you liked the post!
I wish I could have told my teenage self these things too!
Tina
http://www.justatinabit.com
Well I guess the experience makes us who we are today :)
This is an amazing post
I love to this on myself too.
I'm writing letters 5 years ago then read it on the present after 5 years
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That's such a brilliant idea!! x
I'm also super shy. I don't know how to start a conversation with new people.
I hope I fix it
http://www.melianachen.blogspot.com
I still get shy now, I wouldn't worry yourself about it :)
Great post chickadee! Wish I knew all these when I was younger too. Would of definitely helped in those awkward years haha x
Thank you! Haha yes definitely! x
Some great advice, I'd tell something similar to my younger self, growing up is hard!
Feathers || Ah! So Cute!
Definitely hard!