Dear Future Me,
Travel, because you've always wanted to. The world is waiting to be seen and you have a lifetime to see it all. So do it. Study aboard because that opportunity will only come once in a lifetime. Spend the money you don't have on a plane ticket to California because there is nothing holding you back. Travel because the world is waiting.
Be spontaneous, because the more you are the more experiences you'll have. You miss 100% of the chances you don't take. You'll never know the outcome of things if you don't take a chance and do them. If it ends badly? Learn from it, everything is a learning experience and you don't want to regret missing out on any of them.
Do not waste your time on people that you don't see staying in your life. There have been many people in your life that have come and gone, you don't need people that are going to be there temporarily. Go with your gut; if you don't like them at first don't waste your time getting to know them.
Life is full of goodbyes, don't let them change you. Sometimes, you need to say goodbye to someone or something to make room for good things to come in the future. You've been through plenty of goodbyes, so you are strong enough to get through more. Trust me.
Surround yourself with people you aspire to be. Motivation is contagious, surround yourself with people that know what they want to do with their lives. Not with people that are living for the party.
Experiences do not defy self worth. You're more than the decisions you've made. Just because everyone else is doing something does not mean you have to. If they make you feel like less of a person because you haven't made the same decisions they have, they aren't worth it. Let me explain, "You haven't done ____? Wow, you're so innocent and naive." No you aren't, you're just better than that.
Life isn't easy and it's never going to be. Sometimes you're going to feel like it's all too much for you, it's not. You're strong and you've made it this far. God is never going to throw something your way that you can't handle.
You've worked your ass off. Getting to where you are wasn't easy. If anyone tells you otherwise, forget them. You were never handed anything and never will be, you worked years to get where you are. So, if you want to treat yourself, do it and don't let anyone make you feel bad about it.
There is always a way. You're going to run into obstacles, but do not let that hold you back because there is always a way. And if not, make a way. If you want it, you need to go for it.
Do things that make you happy. Your happiness comes before anyone else's, so make sure you're happy with something before you worry about other people. You can't make others truly happy if you aren't truly happy yourself. Self love and self happiness are what comes first.
That's it for now, but please remember all these things because I want you to be happy and live the life you've always wanted. You deserve it. Continue to live and learn because that's what life is about.
Sincerely,
20-year-old you.
