“Picture yourself when you were five. In fact, dig out a photo of little you at that time and tape it to your mirror. How would you treat her, love her, feed her? How would you nurture her if you were the mother of little you? I bet you would protect her fiercely while giving her space to spread her itty-bitty wings. She’d get naps, healthy good, imagination time, and adventures into the wild. If playground bullies hurt her feelings, you’d hug her tears away and give her perspective. When tantrums or meltdowns turned her into a poltregeist, you’d demand a loving time-out in the naughty chair. From this day forward I want you to extend that same compassion to your adult self.” -Kris Carr

In light of that sentiment, here are 5 pieces of advice I would tell my younger self.

Come as you are.

This is basically a take on “be yourself.” Why would you ever want to be anything else? There is never a reason to try to be someone or something that your friends would like or that the man you like would love – if they don’t love you for who you are, they don’t deserve you and their attention was never authentic. Feel how beautiful your life becomes once you start living for yourself.

Stay in the present.

For this is the way to truly live. Experience yourself simply being, and in this way you will celebrate your life. And there is so much to celebrate! Take the time to breathe, to feel the grass beneath your feet as they kiss the earth. Take time to smell the flowers, and feel the breeze in your hair. These little moments are beautiful, and they are each a gift to enjoy.

Be natural.

Don’t worry so much about makeup or altering your appearance to conform to what you think it should be to meet someone else’s definition of beauty. The secret is that most people like the natural look on you better – and if they don’t, question them and not yourself. You are beautiful in every way, exactly the way you are in this moment. Always let your natural self shine through.

Go on adventures.

There is no need to waste even a moment on worry, as the problems you have now will most likely be nonexistent or completely different in a year, or even a few weeks or months. Instead, celebrate your life and do something new. Go on an adventure, find a spot just for yourself that you enjoy.

Follow your heart’s true passion.

No one else will do it for you. Your heart may tell you to follow one career path one moment, and then another the next. It may tell you to start certain relationships, and leave others behind. Life is too short not to follow your heart. Even if you get hurt, you were true and authentic to yourself and that takes an extraordinary amount of courage that isn’t recognized enough in this world, you’ll not only recover but you’ll learn something about yourself along the way.

What do you think?

What do you think about these pieces of advice? What would you tell your five year old self? Share with us in the comments section below.

3 Comments

  1. avatar Heather says:

    Such a great article!

  2. avatar derishaldriver says:

    This…is just amazing. I’m not in college yet but I will be in a few years and this still helps! I book marked this for future references. I’m so glad I found this website. This is a great article. Xoxo

  3. avatar Genevieve says:

    WoW … I am 45 looking for helpful ideas that will help my neice when she goes to college in a few months, I didn’t expect to read anything that took my breath away. Please follow Anna’s advice .. life will be far more rewarding.

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