A letter to a ‘future me’

Recently an old classmate decided to compile the names of those we attended school with. He enlisted the help of five others and when I looked at the list my name and a few others were missing. Shocking! Isn’t it? Perhaps not.

Someone sent me a message and said, “you have really changed”. I probed what they meant. Their response was, “from introvert to extrovert”.

The person then said, “ask anybody to mention ladies in our school year now and you would be among the first three…..”

I had very few close friends back then, I wasn’t miss popular or sporty and the only times I spoke up was against a few bullies.

In the same week, I heard of two young people who committed suicide and there was a teenager who shot two classmates. Tragic! isn’t it?

This prompted me to think of what I would say to myself if I had written a letter to my future self from key moments in my past.

What would I say, if I knew the pimply face would someday be less so and that I would leave the bullies behind outlasting them in endurance, capacity, capability and outperforming them?

What about that boy who did not notice me, who I now wouldn’t be caught dead with? I can’t recall any but you get the gist.

What about those girls who seemed to hit their peak when I was still looking tomboy-ish, wondering, ‘how come and why me?’

What would I say, if I knew that relationship break-up would not destroy me?

Or if I knew all my challenges would pass and I would face and overcome even bigger ones becoming more resilient in the process?

What would I say, if I knew there was a world out there waiting for me, a successful career, an amazing family, friends and a host of other successes, blessings and accomplishments?

I would say, ‘chin up! It gets better! You are going to be and do great. You will have many adventures that will blow your socks off! And go places living an amazing life filled with love, joy and hope!

In life, we are often blinded by what’s happening now that we forget there’s still life to live. Sometimes we don’t see an easy way out or a future filled with possibilities.

Weeping may endure through the night but in the morning comes joy.

As a young person, reading this, remember that every struggle and challenge today and the physical imperfections will pass. Embarrassing moments will be forgotten and the bullies will be left behind.

The popular people will not always have the monopoly on popularity or success. You will not always seem invisible and unseen. Your own shot and time is coming but you have to hang in there.

For the grown ups struggling to juggle marriage, business, career, raising children, for those coming out of bad break-ups or divorces or wondering how your next bills are going to be paid, remember, ‘this too shall pass’ if you don’t give up.

There is hope. We just need to look up and we will see there’s help. There are solutions around us, strategies to download, support to pull on, network of people to leverage, knowledge to acquire and changes we can make.

Take some time this week, assess where you are and write a letter to your future self.

Your letter can be to remind you that in 5 years, your new business will be thriving or that your health will be better because you will have a successful outcome.

Perhaps yours will say, “the tough first year in my new job and steep learning curve got easier and I won many awards. I now have a great boss who brings out the best in me”

Or your letter could say, “my family is back together, sitting round the dinner table, laughing with no care in the world”.

May be yours will say, ‘this ache in my heart, this feeling that I will never be happy again, is gone. I still remember my loved ones but I am no longer overwhelmed by the sadness or crippled by the grief”

What will your letter say to a future you? Write it today.

Make it a good one because the best is yet to come for you.

Whatever you do, don’t give up today because there is hope for and in your tomorrow.

Did I really change from an introvert to an extrovert? I will tell you about that soon enough.

See you next week and thanks for stopping by. Please share this with everyone who needs to be encouraged today.