A note to my younger self .
Love your looks
Everything you feel about the way you look will fade . I agree with you , the short bob hairstyle ? Probably not our best idea , but you won ’ t find out you don ’ t like it until you try it ! Trust me , it ’ ll grow back quick and you ’ ll learn to laugh at it ( it really is a funny haircut ). The braces . Yes , they ’ re not ideal at fourteen years of age when not one of your friends has them , but again they are so , so worth it . You ’ ll be pleased you have them in a year or two . Just keep wearing your retainer ! And finally , boys . Okay so you might not be the most popular now , but give it a year or two , they ’ ll start to notice . Anyway , if a boy doesn ’ t like you with braces and a bad haircut even though you ’ re as funny and smart as you are , he ’ s not worth it and he never will be .
It will be okay
Take baby steps . No matter how small or big the problem is . If there is more than one problem , focus on one and then move onto the next one once you ’ ve sorted it out . Nothing will fix itself overnight , and if it does then it ’ s not worth worrying over in the first place – I ’ ve been there enough times to know . Just remind yourself every day that everything is going to be okay in the end . It might take a while to get there , but you will .
Believe in yourself
You are smarter than you think . The major note to myself would have been that I am smarter than I thought I was . I should ’ ve encouraged myself to try harder . That I should ’ ve told myself I was as intelligent and I too , as well as many other teenagers my age could do way better than I thought I would . That it was possible to score 100 % if I put more effort into it . That I shouldn ’ t have doubted myself and spoken my mind . But of course , I am not the teenager that I was 6 years ago . However , it ’ s never too late to start believing in your strengths and put them into practice . You will be shockingly surprised to how much talents and skills you have until you have attempted . Take a risk , you will never lose but learn something new everyday . Sometimes it is easier to accept defeat than take up a challenge and majority of the times when those risks were taken , I had accomplished so much in such little time ! Never give up !
Social savvy
Social Media is everywhere , it ’ s hard to avoid and it ’ s a scary thing . When your friends have it , then you want it as well . There are people on social networks that may seem perfect to you . Perfect bodies , perfect makeup , perfect skin and perfect relationships . The truth is none of that is true . Most of it is not reality . On social media people show the best , but not the rest . So the one thing I would say to my younger self is , be confident in yourself before you make your accounts . Because as much as you feel like you ’ re not going to be influenced by it , it is extremely easy to be sucked into this fake yet perfect world . Be happy with yourself and how you look . I ’ m not saying you should never have it , you should it ’ s an amazing platform to connect with your friends . Just before you do , be proud , be beautiful and be you .
8 Whateva - Issue 1