I want to thank Tess Marshall and her post Life’s lessons for a younger self that led me to Abubakar Jamil and the  Life Lessons Series.  Abubakar invited Personal Development Bloggers to write about stuff you wish you had known earlier in life. I have been reflecting recently on my life and lessons I have learned along the way. The thoughts I share in this post as advice I would give to both a younger self as well as to the younger generation.

1. It’s okay to not only like yourself, but to love yourself!
What if we had grown up learning to love ourselves first, rather than thinking or being told how selfish your were.. What I now know that in order to make a difference both to my life and yours I need to feel good about me, other wise I revert to the default- ” I’m not good enough”
2. It’s okay to think and act differently
” Anything to be different”in  those words echo in my ears from my teenage years:) It is what makes you special and when you accept and understand this you stop comparing yourself to others. You stop wondering why and accept your own uniqueness.
3. Yes I can  put me first and not feel guilty
Were you told- always think of others first?
4. I can’t change how you think
I can’t control what you think, I can respect that you will have different thoughts to mine and how boring life would be if we all thought the same.
5. I am responsible for how I feel and I have a choice.
What you mean I can no longer blame my parents, the government, the weather etc. Yes I have the choice about whether I feel good, I can choose to wake up each morning with a song in my heart.
6.  “What you think of me is none of MY business”
Well what will the neighbors think? These are words that echo back to me from my childhood. I often remember replying I didn’t care. Later in life I discovered I did care about what others thought , a trait that is often challenging to let go of. Another way to stop oneself stepping up.
7. I can’t change my past, having regrets slows, sometimes even stops my growth
Harboring thought of what might have been if I had only  I had acted differently, etc etc……
8.   That how I be is more important than what I have.
Being in joy and happiness, at peace within is what is truly important.
9.   How being consciously grateful each day is empowering. Gratitude also attracts abundance as I expressed in a video that I know from the comments has empowered others

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” –Melody Beattie

10. Love means letting go of fear ( as I read many years ago in the book Love is Letting go of Fear by[amazon-product text="Gerald G. Jampolsky" type="text"]0890872465[/amazon-product] It is fear that stops us achieving our greatness.  Also remember Fear is

False
Evidence
Appearing
Real

11. It’s okay to be a winner and to brag-
Were you told it was wrong to brag or boast about your wins as a child? I know I was. Any of these sound familiar?

You will get a swollen head!
Too big for your boots!
Who do you think you are?
Big noting yourself?

Strange it was always okay for Mum to brag about my achievements, and don’t grandparents love bragging about their grandchildren’s achievements?

12. Be The Change You Wish To See in The World as Mahatma Ghandi said.
Don’t rock the boat! Keep the status quo- memories from a younger self’s time. Do you fear or embrace change? Thus has been one of my favorite quotes for many years. I know when I embrace change I grow, I make a difference. When I fear change I procrastinate and hold myself back.

What Life’s lessons would you share with your younger self?

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