“I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again”
Definitely get the racecar. And obviously the underglow that NEEDS to go with it. Get the tats and dye the hair, the costumes, and anything else that puts a smile on your face. And don’t ever let anyone look down on you because you make different choices. Actually, correction…you can’t control how other people feel. Let them look down on you if they must, but you control how that makes YOU feel. Your initial gut response might take you by surprise, but after that, you have the power to decide if you want to feel differently.
Take the trip and make the first move. Take a year off…or 3. Travel the world first. Get your education from experience and immersion first. Then add the books that help you go deeper into the experiences you enjoyed the most. (Then keep traveling of course. As often as finances and responsibilities will allow.)
Learn Spanish immediately and regularly. Don’t be lazy. It will never not be useful.
Don’t second guess your gut even if it seems the whole world is against you. (In other words, you do NOT have to be a mother)
Don’t waste one single minute crying over people who can’t love you as you are. You would never be happy changing for them anyway. That doesn’t mean you don’t have room to grow. Always stay open minded, and continue to approach the world with arms wide open, ready to receive anything that comes. But there will just be some, for reasons unknown to you, who simply don’t like you. And that’s ok. They don’t have to. Forcing your way into their world will hurt just as bad as it sounds. Take a breath and let them go.
Get outside every single day. Ground. Hands in the earth, feet in the sand, sun on your face, by whatever means necessary.
Don’t go more than six months without a mentor or being a mentor, or both. Girl you were born to show the world the way. You can’t do that if you’re spiraling. Smack anyone who suggests this process as weak. Literally, smack them. Then give them a big hug and tell them you’re safe. They can be real with you when they don’t feel safe with anyone else. No one else has ever told them that. Which is the other half of that mentor thing. Never stop teaching. Or coaching. Or mentoring. Or sitting and listening. Or writing. Or painting. Or whatever it looks like in each of it’s seasons. You have so many unique life experiences and perspectives to share. Keeping them inside robs the world of your gift, and you of your joy.
Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They’ll come flying at you everyday anyway, if you can accept and learn from them rather than trying (and failing) to avoid them, you’ll grow faster. And for the love of God, own them and apologize. Defensiveness does not protect you like you think it does. It robs you of a chance to grow, thereby making you weaker and prone to make the same mistake again.
All of this to say, there is no right way to live your life and anyone who tries to tell you differently does not have your best interest in mind. Exploration and authenticity drive you more than anything and so long as you stay true to that, do your best not to hurt anyone and try as many new things as you’re able, you will live a grand and beautiful life. I’m excited for you.
