If you could go back in time, what would you tell your younger self? If I had the opportunity, here are 10 things that I would tell younger hot mess.
- Accept and love yourself as God made you. Quit comparing yourself to others and understand that God made you the way you are for a reason. He doesn’t make mistakes. You must love yourself before you can love and nurture others.
- Don’t worry so much about what other people think. You are never going to please everyone. You need to be true to yourself and set boundaries with others.
- Children are a blessing and a joy, but if you have them, keep in mind that they will break your heart and scare you to death more times than you could ever imagine. Puppies are a good lower maintenance substitute. Just sayin’.
- A couple of tips if you have kids: Let them make mistakes so they will learn and be more resilient since life is full of failure and disappointments. Insist that they help around the house. Chill out on the activities so you don’t wear your kids – and yourself – out. Quit feeling guilty about time you aren’t spending with your kids if you work outside the home or have other commitments. Just focus on the quality of time that you do have! I could go on, but these are a few areas where I didn’t do so well.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff and spend so much time worrying about things that won’t matter in the future. Is it going to matter after even a day if your kid insists on wearing an outfit that doesn’t match? Or if you get a snarky email from someone at work?
- Slow down! Being busy is not a badge of honor. Figure out what is most important to you and say no to things that don’t fit these criteria.
- Make time to be still. If you give yourself 10 to 15 minutes of quiet time in the morning, you’ll start your day from a more centered, calm state.
- You probably can’t have it all. Focus more on relationships and less on building bank balances and climbing the career ladder. In the end, relationships are what matter the most.
- Exercise and eat right to make the most of the temple that God gave you to live in on this earth. You will feel better and be more effective in doing the work that God put you on this earth to do.
- Choose a partner wisely and well. Don’t go into it thinking you can change him/her, only God can do that. And it isn’t your partner’s job to fill the emptiness inside you and make you whole. That’s God’s job too!
P.S. Also, stay out of the sun and try not to squint!
