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