There’s a song that I love by Mercy Me called “Dear Younger Me“. It’s a song that’s written from the perspective of an adult talking to his younger self. At the beginning of the song he says:

“Dear younger me. Where do I start? If I could tell you everything that I have learned so far. Then you could be one step ahead of all the painful memories still running through my head. I wonder how much different things would be. Dear younger me. I cannot decide. Do I give some speech about how to get the most out of your life? Or do I go deep and try to change the choices that you’ll make cause they’re choices that made me.”

We all have things in our life that we regret. Decisions that we’ve made that we look back on and wish we could change. There are of course a ton of choices that we’re proud of, but what, if anything would you change? I’ve been thinking a lot about what I would tell my younger self:

Go with love

I took a round-about way to my true love. I’ve known and truly loved my husband since I was 13 years old. We went our separate ways after high school and came back together years later. Though I’ve learned a lot from my experiences without him in my life, I almost wish we had just stayed together! I wish we would’ve just pushed through the tough times, the distance, and all the emotional games we played. We would’ve saved a lot of time. But, then again, I did learn a ton by experiencing a not-so-great marriage and the divorce process. And my hubby and I now have an awesome story to tell!

Make a budget and stick to it

This would’ve saved me a whole lot of stress. If I started with my very first paycheck in high school and made a habit of consistent budgeting, I would’ve been a whole lot better off financially. Playing catch up as an adult is no fun! I wish I found out about Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps a long time ago!

Tithe and Save

I always learned to tithe as a kid, growing up in church. But, didn’t always do it consistently early on. I now realize the huge benefits that come with tithing and saving.

Enjoy life without kids

I kinda jumped right into kids after marriage. And though I absolutely love my kids, it would’ve been nice to have a little more “free time” in marriage before them. My hubby and I just have to make an extra effort to have our nightly alone time sans kids.

Travel/see the world

Being so busy with school, work, and family, I never found time to really travel. I’ve visited a few countries, and have gone on a few fun trips. But, Africa, Europe, Asia, and more of the Caribbean are in my sights. It would’ve been nice to find the time earlier in my life, but it’s not too late!

Give Your All

In anything, if you want to see results, it’s best to give your all. Don’t give 50% or 75%. If you do, you’ll only see that percent of the potential results.

Learn all you can

I have to admit, there were times in my life where I just skated by. Memorizing what I needed for an upcoming test and not truly “learning”. Reading the “cliff notes” versions of books I was assigned to read. There’s so much that I’ve had to re-learn because I wasn’t fully “there” when I was learning it the first time. More wasted time.

Stay close to good family and friends, get rid of bad ones

We all need good people in our lives. Whether its someone to bounce ideas off of, to get an opinion, to listen to our rants, or to just provide a comforting shoulder. It’s important to have an awesome support system of people who’ll bring out the best in you. Stay in touch with those people, and get rid of the toxic people who will do nothing but bring you down. I’ve wasted a lot of time in my life, trying to please other people, or begging them to be nice to me or care about me. All this energy towards someone who could care less. It’s better to invest the time, energy, and love towards the good people in your life. Don’t waste time on the bad.

Make yourself a priority

When you’re a child, your parents take care of you and meet your needs. But, there comes a time where that switches and you have to take care of yourself. There isn’t always a clear cut time or instance when that happens, but you soon have to realize that you have to care of yourself and make yourself a priority. No one’s is to make sure that you eat well, stay active, and get enough rest. As an adult, you have to make yourself a priority so that you can be your best self. YOU have to be important to YOU.

Don’t rush to grow up

When I was a kid, I wanted so badly to grow up. I wanted a house, a car, a job, a bank account, etc. I wanted the freedom that came with being an adult. But, I didn’t think about ALL of the responsibilities that came with it. You’ll be an adult for longer than you’ll be a child, so it’s better to take full advantage of being young for as long as you can. Growing up isn’t always fun!

In the end, I think I’ve learned so much from my experiences in life so far. There’s been a lot of heartache, but so many more good times. Of course, it makes sense to wish for an easier path. But would I really be the person I am today if I hadn’t been through what I’ve been through?

What advice would you give to your younger self? Leave it in the comments below!

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