Dear 20-year old me,
This is it. The last year of your twenties.
There will be so many more big changes to come in your life, but these past 9 years have changed the course of it more than you could have imagined. You will learn so much about who you are and what is most important in your life.
I want to write this open letter to you, my 20-year-old self, but I promise, without it, you will still be fine. But if it was ever possible for you to read this letter…I want you to take it to heart.
Don’t take your body for granted.
I know you think your butt is too big, I’m sorry to say, it will only get bigger. Your body will change in so many beautiful ways, and you will find someone who loves every inch of you, exactly how it is and exactly how it changes. As long as you stay healthy, the changes to your body, that may seem unappealing from the outside, are because of amazing things your body was made to do.
Learn to accept and appreciate rejection.
It’s coming for you.
Buy quality clothes.
I know right now the cheap + trendy clothes are more doable for you, but you’ve stopped growing. Some of these things will surprisingly be in your closet for years… leave those two cheap tops behind and buy that one you really love. I know it’s more expensive, but it’s much better quality. You’ll thank me in 5 years.
Don’t get a credit card.
I know you think you need it, you dont. If you don’t have the money, it can wait. If that top you love isn’t there when you get your next pay check, it wasn’t meant to be.
Burn the nice candles + wear the expensive perfume.
Don’t wait for a special occasion.
Make peace with the hardships of your past that you are holding onto.
It affects you more than you know and ignoring it doesn’t last. Make peace with them so it doesn’t unexpectedly come to the surface in your future. You’re responsible for how long you let them hurt you and haunt you.
Time heals everything.
It may take 10 years for some wounds to heal…but I promise they will heal.
Don’t forget your dreams.
Some of them will happen because you kept working at it and it will be amazing. Some won’t happen and that’s okay! Some will slightly open the window for you to see them, stop and pay attention, or they might pass you by. None of them will come easy, but keep pursuing them!
Keep praying.
I promise He will answer you.
Stop caring about what other people think of you.
Don’t take it personally when someone hurts you. Hurt people hurt people.
If relationships are hard + painful, let them go.
Relationships that are worth it will sometimes be hard work, but they should never be painful too.
There are only ‘one size fits all’ measurements in clothing, not in life.
Don’t compare yourself to others because you have had a significantly different life from everyone, as has everyone from you.
When you are trying so hard to keep something in your control but you can’t, it’s God showing you He’s in control.
Let go.
You will learn more from all the failures in your life, than the things that bring you success.
Don’t hold onto them in grief, appreciate them for what they are.
You will become a wife + a mother before you think you are ready.
You will never be ready but at the same time…you are more than ready.
You got this + I love you.
xx
Your 29-year old self.
This is such a sweet, wonderful idea! I love the idea of writing a letter to myself, and I love how essential all these lessons were. Really inspiring. xx
Izzy
Isabella David Vintage
http://www.IsabellaDavid.com
I love this and I would probably give myself a lot of the same advice. There was so much that I learned as I Got older – even though I thought I knew it all back then.
I would tell myself to enjoy life that everything turns out just fine. To enjoy the kids and grandkids to come
This is such a lovely letter, I think it is amazing all the things we learn throughout our years of growing up. There is definitely so many things I wish I could say to my younger self.
I adore this idea! I think we all have so much we would say to our younger selves. So much happens in those early years, and we rarely know how it will turn out.
I just love this letter. Your lessons are so true! Time does heal. And yes, you do learn from your failures.
I should have done this! I would have loved to write myself a letter when I first turned 20 and then again when I turned 29 just to compare and see how much I have grown. This is a great reminder and I will be doing this even though I’m older now.
I have enjoyed by 30s much more than my 20s. There’s something about having a little bit of life experience in the rear view mirror to make the current and future experiences so much better!
This is lovely. I can still call the year I left 29 and turned 30. We didn’t even have our kids yet! Crazy. I recall my Mom making a big deal of this momentous occasion turning 30 and it really wasn’t that big a deal. If I could return though I’d happily return to my 30s even though hadn’t much money then because I had not even started my business I was happy as a new Mom to two little people we adopted and those were the best days ever.
I want to write a letter to my 16 year old self. AND ACTUALLY, HAVE HER READ IT!!!
10 years is a long time and a lot happens in those years. I wish I was still in my 20s because with age comes some wisdom.
This is such a great letter and a wonderful idea! I love every single word. I especially love the “Keep praying” part. Prayer works!
This is such a beautiful post filled with so many wonderful sentiments. It got me thinking about what I would say to myself at 20, especially considering I’m now 35.
I adore this idea. I wish I would have invested in more luxury items in my 20s.
I love reading letters to past selves. It’s amazing what we learn as we grow older.
I think it’s great that you did this. We learn a lot over time even if we can’t change the past we can definitely learn and apply our newfound knowledge to our future.
What a sweet idea. I don’t think I would warm myself of anything honestly. I would hate for anything to change. I love the stage of life I’m in right now. Maybe just tell my self that it only gets better.
This is such a nice idea. It is fascinating to look back at what you were some years back. Many of the issues that seemed huge and surmountable at that time have disappeared with the passage of time.
I’m telling my 20-year-old self the same! Get a credit card, but don’t use it for things you wouldn’t be buying with your debit card. I’d also tell myself there’s time. I was in such a rush!