To My Future Self: I Hope You Live Fearlessly & Freely
Dear my future self,
Wherever you are right now, I hope you’re happy.
I hope this letter finds you well, healthy, and content with the life you are now living. I hope you’re currently living the life you always dreamt of. A life full of meaning, bold decisions, fearless love and unforgettable memories.
I hope the past few years have been nothing but an adventure. An adventure of highs and lows, laughs and cries, love and heartbreak, fear and excitement, and everything in between.
I hope you’ve experienced it all and that you made it through the darkest of times. I hope that the girl who once spent her time crying in the shower, now finds herself singing in the shower. That the girl who once was afraid to speak up, can now never shut up. The girl who always used to worry about tomorrow, is now only living for today. And that the girl who was afraid to take a chance, now takes every chance she can get.
I hope that girl is you.
I hope you took the time, and the courage, to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. To learn how to play the piano, run a half marathon, take a long road trip, and have deep conversations with strangers. I hope you were finally brave enough to live outside your comfort zone and to finally move on from familiarity. I know at the time it would have been difficult. But I hope it was worth it. I hope it taught you to live for yourself, and be open to all opportunities; to learn from your mistakes and to make risky decisions, even if it wasn’t worth it.
I hope it made you resilient, optimistic, self-assured and strong.
I hope you learnt to let go of the things that no longer served you. The friends that never made time for you, the relationships that continued to hurt you, and the job that slowly drained you. There was a time when you thought that having fifty friends was better than having five; that being in a relationship was better than being alone; and that working a job you really hate was okay, because at least you were making money.
But I hope you have now realised that none of that is important. I hope you now know that having a small group of good friends is better than having many average ones. That there is beauty and growth in being alone. And that money won’t always make you happy.
So whatever it is you’re doing now, I hope you’re happy doing it.
I hope you’ve discovered the passion you were once always searching for, and the drive you once lacked is something you are now proud of. I hope you’ve finally realised there is more to life than wealth and success. That the car you drive, the house you buy, and the job you have don’t define who you are. I hope you’ve realised that there is more to life than the 9 to 5 job. That there is more to life than waking up to an alarm every morning and doing the same thing over and over again. Because that is a vicious cycle, and I hope you never settled for it.
Instead, I hope you are now the girl who lives fearlessly and freely.
I hope you’re the girl who has no regrets because she is open to all possibilities. She isn’t afraid to say no, she sees beauty in the little things, and she takes the time to live. I hope you connect with nature, spend quality time with family and friends and tell people you love them. I hope you’ve learnt to live away from your phone, and realised that great moments don’t always have to be captured; but rather, remembered.
Most importantly, I hope you look back and remember the girl you once were. I hope you remember the girl writing this letter. A girl who was once too comfortable with being comfortable. A girl who was craving adventure, deep connections and a sense of endless possibilities. A girl who lacked confidence, was lost for purpose, and who was afraid that she would never be brave enough to be living the life you are today.
Love,
Your 24 year-old self.