I'm 20 years old, graduating with my master's degree and just ended my career as a collegiate athlete. I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and I'm not home very often but the end of my last journey took me home for about a week. During that time, I hung around in the house looking at old memories from when I was younger, drove around my neighbourhood and visited all the old places I used to go to when I was a kid. Sometimes I don't think we realize how much we've done in life and how old, yet young we still are. I drive by my old schools and see kids out for recess and remember a time when that kid running around the playing grounds used to be me, and how young and innocent I was. I look at myself now and realize how much knowledge I've gained since then, but how much I still have to learn.
Until you take a step back from all the chaos going on in your life, we never appreciate how much we've accomplished. The present overwhelms us and our natural need for improvement and dissatisfaction blinds us from capabilities.
There normally is always something on the news about a young successful person, or awards given for how extremely talented someone is and I feel like it isn't just me when I say this, as happy as I am for the people who get those honors especially when they're my friends, sometimes it brings me down because, why not me? Why isn't what I've done good enough? That feeling that most of us have is what makes us so miserable sometimes. We never feel like anything we do is good enough and somebody always wants more from us. They want us to be a little more perfect, or a little bit smarter, work a little bit harder. Those are all good things and qualities we should aim for and seek from ourselves, but not to the extent that we lose sight of who we are and what we've already accomplished.
Today's society is so demanding, that without meeting certain socially acceptable standards you are looked down upon. More than anything I wish that wasn't the case, but what I've realized is when everything seems to be going wrong, when you're stressed and overwhelmed, the best thing to do is look back at everything you've already done. Look at everything you've already been through, the times where you felt exactly the same way you do now, but you got through them. The times you thought you wouldn't make it, but you did. All those times are defining moments within yourself, you showed yourself how courageous and brave you were, and those moments deserve recognition.
Never lose sight of your younger self. I rarely go back and look at my younger self, but every time I do, every time I see what I've done and where I am today, a little smile pops up on my face. It's truly incredible to look at yourself grow up, remember all the people who influenced you into the person you are today and then think of the future, 2…3…4…5 years from now. Imagine the places you can go. Your goals, ambitions, desires…they can all change and if you're like me they change per the day. Yet because of the people we are, because of the way you've defined yourself for so many years, even when you get stuck, when something unfortunate happens…you will always get out of it and find a way to move forward.
What I'm trying to say is, look back, go take a day or just a couple hours and watch yourself grow up, go look at everything you've accomplished and be proud, then take a second and look at everything you still want to accomplish and get excited! There will always be bumps along the way, on any journey you take there are obstacles, but what's important in your reaction to them and to always remember you'll get through it and you'll be happy with where you end up. If you aren't happy, then your journey isn't over yet. One day you will be exactly where you want to be. Some may get there quick and for others it may take longer, but always be proud of what you've done, live in every moment you're apart of and be excited for the future. In life you will have great challenges and great opportunities, take each and every one of them and when you need to lean on your family and friends as without them, without people to share your life with, the good and the bad parts, life can get pretty lonely. You write the own ending to your story, if you aren't satisfied, keep writing.
"The journey is never ending. There's always gonna be growth, improvement, adversity; you just gotta take it all in and do what's right, continue to grow, continue to live in the moment." Antonio Brown
