Dear Senior Year Self,
Hi. It's me.
I'm here to tell you almost two years later that nothing is the same. I know you hate change and you're constantly worried about the future (FYI, we're still working on that), but you've finished three semesters of college with good grades, good friends, and involvement on campus. You've written papers, taken exams, participated in group projects, and studied in the library for hours and you survived it THREE TIMES already. You've had a summer job, an on-campus job, Campus Rep positions and you've recently just begun your first internship.
You've changed your major, your minors even, and you've ultimately begun to think of career paths that you never would've dreamed would be of interest to you. You've even gotten better at public speaking (I know right?!!) and although there's still room for improvement, I'm extremely proud of your initiative. You ask questions, you participate. You speak up! This just further emphasizes my point. Change is good. I know you're so scared to graduate high school and go off to a completely new place, where you only know a select few people. You have no idea what you want to do, but that's okay. We still don't, but the fact that you're taking steps to get there and will continue to climb mountains is what matters most.
I can't even begin to tell you all of the things you've accomplished since you last walked the halls of MK, both in and out of the classroom, because waking up and going to class when you're so tired that you could fall over is an accomplishment. Staying focused on your studies for several hours instead of watching Netflix is an accomplishment. There are so many little accomplishments in addition to the big ones, and they're all important. Every little thing you've done contributes to your success, and I want you to know that you're on the right track.
I'm so proud of you and you should be proud of yourself, because guess what? It's okay to have your own interest in mind and brag a little every once in a while. You don't have to talk down to yourself and make it seem like your achievements are meaningless, because they're not. They mean a lot actually and you deserve to scream out that you're awesome. I promise, I wouldn't lie to you. I've always got your back.
You have the best boyfriend in the world and your relationship continues to grow in love each and every day. You have wonderful friends. Sure, everything's not like it was when you all saw each other every day, but it's almost better. Now seeing each other is even better, because you have all that more to catch up on. You've made new friends and lost some along the way too, but that's what life's all about.
Now that we've discussed some of the positives, you know we also have to talk about failure. Everyone fails, including you, and believe me, you've had your fair share of failure. But instead of letting it knock you down, pick yourself up and show the world that you're strong enough to stand back up again. I'll admit it, we still cry sometimes, get frustrated, and want to punch walls. We still stress out about everything, but I'm starting to see that it's a good thing, because as long as it doesn't get out of hand, it keeps you focused and driven.Just try to remember that making mistakes is natural and one little misstep isn't going to ruin your life.
What I'm trying to say is, everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly eventually all works itself out and you've got so much life experience ahead of you. I'm excited for you and I thought I might try to put yourself a little more at ease, because despite your worst fears, you're doing fine. Scratch fine, you're doing your absolute best.
Love,
Your Current Self
