If you could get the chance to go back just once, face your 15 your old self, what advice would you give yourself? That is the question that has been posed to 15 of the most highly influential women of the world on “International day of the girl” So I say to everyone reading this blog, if you could what would you say to yourself? Here is the advice that I would give myself if ever I was given the opportunity.
1. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can do whatever you want in life no matter what people have told you. Have confidence in your abilities, think big, act big and be big!
2. Don’t sweat the little things. Life is too short to get caught up in things that are here today and gone as quickly as tomorrow. Instead focus on what you can do today that will make your future better.
3. Have fun! Take the time to “smell the roses” and really enjoy your life. Life is too short not to be happy. It’s not always easy to find happiness and sometimes you need to make significant changes in your life to find that happiness. Don’t be scared of the change.
4. Be mindful of your actions and your thoughts. Thoughts turn to actions so have a clear mind and be mindful of what you are thinking at all times.
5. Be humble. Take the time to really understand what it means to be humble. This is such an important attribute that you need more of in your life.
6. Last and not least, listen more and talk less. For those of you who know me this will make total sense.
When I set out to write this blog it really hit home for me. What an opportunity it gave me to really think back on the past 20 years of my life.
It is amazing to me that when we think of it, we are the sum of all of our life’s experiences to this very moment. We can’t change the past and most of us wouldn’t want to change it anyway. But wouldn’t it be amazing to be able to stand in front of yourself at 15 years old, the world at your footsteps and you would be able to give yourself some advice that might make a difference in not only your life but those of others?
Just think of that pool of water, you have a pebble and your drop it in. Watch how the ripples move away and get bigger, most would call it the “ripple effect”. Think what the “ripple effect” would be if you could go back and give yourself this advice?
Ian Repay
Student of Silent River Kung Fu
Stony Plain, Alberta
