The world has become a large digital oyster. The earth has seemingly retaliated against mankind. The landscape has shifted at a massive magnitude. Back then, would I have imagined this scenery to be the face of the future? No, the thought wouldn’t even have entered my mind. This was only supposed to be the product of a foreseeable fiction playing on my TV screen. The heightened sense of cautious and, at times, paranoia were only supposed to be what thriller novels were made of. And yet, here we are. When reality chooses to hit, you better believe it hits hard.
Sailing through a time unlike any other, you can’t help but to take a step back, look back, and reminisce. Reflecting has become a constant friend. I can’t help but wonder, if scientists of our time have cracked the way to travel back to the past, and I was on the journey back in time, what would that storyline look like. If I could go back there and meet my younger 21-year-old self, what would I have said to the girl whose view of the world was only contained to the four corners of Redmond Barry building of The University of Melbourne? Oh, my dear girl, you would be surprised. Just you wait.
After taking some time to find a much-needed solace, I went back and entertained this idea. If I could go back in time and find my 21-year-old self, what would I say to her? What would I wish she knew then, what I know now? The answers slowly came to me in fragments, one after the other. And I’m finally taking time to put them down.
- Changes are an inevitable part of the journey. I remember how you used to, and sometimes still, resist changes. It is only human nature after all. But, changes are necessary to growth. Through changes, you will find yourself constantly on metamorphosis. You will find new versions of yourself almost everyday. Through changes, you will learn how to be adaptive. Through changes, you will see how capable you are. And through changes, you will find the strength you never thought you had. Changes are your new best friend. Befriend it, get close to it, and make use of it, because changes will always be a constant companion in the journey.
- Labeling days as good or bad will not bring you any good. The more you try to label them as good or bad, it will only put an unnecessary pressure from the expectation that days must always be good. The fact of the matter is, days come and days go as they are and as they please. Take it as they are, face it as they come. Be grateful for all things that come and release things that do not suit you. Each day that comes is beautiful in their own way. And you’ll see that there is so much good in everything, despite everything, because of everything.
- Words you choose play a huge role in your life. Remember when you used to feel anxious and scared all the time? And you would use the phrases, “I don’t know” or “I’m scared” a lot? Words have energy, and the more you use these negatively-charged words, the energy around you become negative—and so will the things that you would attract to your life. The more you repeated this habit, the more you fed yourself with the energy of those words. It became a vicious loop of conditioning and reinforcing. Over time you’ll realize this and be more mindful of the words you choose to use, both those directed inward and outward. And the more you practice this, the more you better acquaint yourself with the concept of self-love. And that’s how would you truly thrive.
- Change the questions you ask yourself. Many times, and many more times after that, you will find yourself seemingly stuck in a situation. And the more you feel stuck; there will be a risk to self-sabotage and self-degrade. Have you ever thought that it could be something else other than the issue of capability? Have you learned to give yourself credit where it is due? Perhaps, another way to look at it is to change the questions you seek answers from, instead of looking at the speed bump as a dead-end. The answers will come with the right set of questions.
- What you see in others is a reflection of how you see yourself. When the going gets tough, and you feel the urge to blame, you will eventually learn to stop pointing your finger at others and realize how you make of the world around you is all up to you. You have the power to change the way you look outward and ultimately alter your reality. You have the choice to turn your “weakness” as a stepping stool. After all, this life you are living is your accountability in the end. It is your choice, and it is all on you.
- Remember how you were very afraid to feel sadness or pain, that you would avoid them at all costs? Well, that did not work out too well for you, did it? The more you resist, the more they find you. The road to healing is by feeling, and only then will you feel free. Emotions are a part of every day. They would come and crash like waves at sea, and it is best to just allow them. You’ll soon learn that every day is a constant journey of swinging from one end of the pendulum to the other, trying to find your balance. And turns out, it is just how things are, and it is okay.
At a time where it is like a race against time and everyone is rendered irrelevant, there are learning curves and growth spurts that no other time could have brought out. These things make up for the things we wished our younger self would have known then. Would our lives have ended up differently then? But, ah, we learn as we go. And we learn what we learn according to its own time.
To conclude, if I could sum up what I would say in three words, I would say this to myself –
“Everything is okay.”
And it truly, truly is.