The inspiration for this week’s blog comes from this book "What I know now: Letters to my younger self" by Ellyn Spragins that asks successful women (athletes, politicians, authors, businesswomen, and artists) what advice they would give to their younger selves.
![]()
Esme,
I asked friends and colleagues
“What is something you (your present self) would tell yourself at age 18?”
I chose age 18 because it’s a very confusing crossroads in most our
lives between childhood and adulthood.
This question forced me to reflect on my journey thus far and also
value my younger self as someone who knew nothing and had
achieved nothing in life (besides a high school diploma) and would
eventually become who I am today.
This person is now the current me and I happen to very proud of
who I am. So I would tell myself…
Esme,
Don’t desire what others have. You will pave your own way and it will be more incredible than you ever imagined. You have to go through this molding period and you will sacrifice fun, sleep, time with your family, and relationships. The people that really love you will stick around and understand. The people that give you a hard time, let them go. You will cry your heart out while you’re studying but you’ll keep fighting and most importantly you’ll prove to yourself what you are capable of. At age 25, life is not going to make much sense and you will look back at when you were 18 for inspiration and you will desire that same strength and purity of heart. The best years of your life come after all this has happened and you won’t be an ugly duckling for much longer. You’re mommy is always right. Pray more. Be more confident and trusting towards your gut feeling. Keep reading poetry, and keep dancing around the kitchen counter. Send your grandmother a card. Oh yeah, and wait for him, he’s worth it.
Lady Le also shared her advice to herself!
"Love and embrace your authentic self because you were made by design. Your life has purpose but you can't rush the process. Be patient. As you live each day of your life you will be molded like potter's clay into a beautiful finished product." ~Lady Le Rich
Here is what my friends said!
Some of the advice is hilarious while some is repentant but
what really stood out to me was that most of it wasencouraging. I am so overwhelmed at the great responses from everyone! I kept them anonymous for privacy and I promise they are verbatim and I did NOT tweak any of the answers ;)
Some of the advice is hilarious while some is repentant but
what really stood out to me was that most of it wasencouraging. I am so overwhelmed at the great responses from everyone! I kept them anonymous for privacy and I promise they are verbatim and I did NOT tweak any of the answers ;)
“Go join the army”
“When I was 18, I knew I wanted to be a doctor but I wanted it for all the wrong reasons. I wanted the prestige; I wanted the power of saving someone else's life. I was drawn to the respect, status, and wealth that was associated with the profession. I bought into the television and movie portrayals of being a doctor, the drama, the excitement, and the romance. If I could go back I would tell myself what medicine is really about. Medicine is privilege and a duty to someone else. There is nothing glamorous about the sickness, pain, suffering or the emotional toil of treating someone who is ill. But what is amazing is the trust shared between patient and doctor, the instant connection between two people who together must work to fight disease. Being a doctor is understanding the needs of someone else and having an unquestionable responsibility to do everything you can to help that person.”
"Don't ever let yourself or others tell you that you're getting 'off-track' in life... if anything, embrace everything you do as if you will never be able to enjoy it again. And when you first meet her, don't forget to ask for her phone number ! "
"Just grow a pair and talk to her!"
I would convince my younger self of the power of positivity, and it's impact. How a positive perspective, and attitude really has the power to bring about your intentions and dreams...I would emphasize not sweating the small stuff... there is a great big life ahead...and these little problems will not matter. At the vital age of 18, when we are in transition to adult hood.. discovering our paths... believing in ourselves and dreams is the most important thing I would tell myself. The ability to do this has the power to change the course of your life significantly in the direction of your intentions.
I would convince my younger self of the power of positivity, and it's impact. How a positive perspective, and attitude really has the power to bring about your intentions and dreams...I would emphasize not sweating the small stuff... there is a great big life ahead...and these little problems will not matter. At the vital age of 18, when we are in transition to adult hood.. discovering our paths... believing in ourselves and dreams is the most important thing I would tell myself. The ability to do this has the power to change the course of your life significantly in the direction of your intentions.
“At 18, I should have told myself to get into the photography business sooner and meet Esmeralda sooner”
"Do what you love and do it to the fullest. Stay prayerful, ambitious and humble and you'll make it!"
“Meet people doing all different kinds of things to identify something l’d truly love to do. Also, try to figure out a profession that could support the lifestyle I like (very expensive tastes) and in locations I love (big cities). And don't forget to smell the roses. :-)”
"leave him already."
“Dear 18yo Me,
Wow, you nailed that last dance performance! Don't underestimate yourself with your pirouettes, you will then realize how amazing they do look to the audience. Could you please stop complaining about late night practices and early practice weekends? You may later realize how bad you would like to put your ballet slippers again but have left that part of your life aside.
Moving on to what really keeps you from catching some Zzzzs at night. A boy. Michael. Well, THE boy actually, who makes your heart skip a beat every time you see him. The one who makes you put on lip gloss every time you ASSUME you may run into him will later be the one whose heart YOU will make skip a beat. Ever heard of the saying 'Oh have the tables turned..'? I know, I know, he looks so cute with his soccer jersey on, and you will do anything to wear it to the games, and feel in heaven when he invites you to them. And you think to yourself, of course you guys can go through college together! You in Austin, him in Houston, 'we can make it happen'. Oh baby, not so much. Michael was just the beginning of your boy crazy years, which to be honest, have yet still to end. So go ahead, enjoy your dates with him but wipe the tears as soon as they roll down, because, there are many more to come!
If I were you, I would think twice of rooming with Zinnia that first year in college. Watch out! Appearances are deceiving and you may end up moving to you future college best friend's dorm in the end. Talk about a bad situation turned good huh?
Enjoy family time before you head out to Austin, specially the little bro. He may need you more than you think, even if he doesn't seem to listen. He does. And he will miss you when you are not there.
Never underestimate your health. Times will be tough when you are at the doctor's office once a month for the monthly blood test. But you know what? You are not doing anything on your part to take the supplements!!! Put an alarm or something woman, don't be lazy! It's your health we are talking about here. You are 18 but you are not immortal. As much as mom tells you everyday and remind you is YOUR health after all. Taking the medicine means no more needle poking at the doctor. Hope it doesn't take you 6 years to realize this!
Remember, there is a big difference with what you are good at and what you are passion is. Keep this in mind when you declare Biology as your major.
And how could I forget Prom?! Ha! Make sure you keep your date's phone number safe, you may run into him later.. ;)
Keep on smiling, you were always good at that, but don't ever let your confidence, or I guess, lack there of get the best of you. Go ahead, dance away!
24 old Me.”
“ Get over being shy! Doesn't help you in life when your future career involves you talking to people you don't know! Don't waste your time with people who pretend to be your friends so you will do your work for them, they are just going to use you and forget about you! And they will get ahead and take the credit for your achievements! You'll be fine, take my advice and just stick to being that doctor you want to be and you will make it! Also, meet a girl named Esmeralda Ramirez-Pena! She is the most magnificant person in the WORLD, and the best friend anyone could ever ask for!”
“Intentions are always good enough for you, but will never be good enough for someone else. Wealth is relative and the sense of accomplishment through more is false. While markets can be influenced through investment, it's a zero sum game. If you want to contribute generate an idea.”
o “Goals:
A year from now, you'll be glad you started today. Evaluate what made you fail in the past, and prepare as much as you can for the road ahead. But always remember to stay determined. Never give up.
Relationships:
Always take the time to be kind to others. You never know when one small gesture or a smile can mean the whole world to someone.
Relationships do not always last forever. But regardless of how long it was, learn from it, be a stronger person, and move on. Appreciate the love of family, friends, and significant others. Whatever separates you in the future is meant to be, so embrace what you have at the moment and learn to let things go when the time calls for it.
Life:
"God wont give you something you cant handle."
We hope in a just and fair world that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But in life, you'll learn that good things happen to bad and good people and bad things happen to good and bad people as well. It's just the cards you were dealt with and sometimes you just cant control these things. The role you play in your own life is the ability to react to situations and the people around you. You control your ATTITUDE. You can make your life worse or you can choose to turn all the bad things in your life into a blessing and learn from them. Be a stronger person. A wiser person.
Be appreciative to all things around you and be someone that others can appreciate as well.
When you're old and graying, you will have wanted to have succeeded in life. To know you made a difference in others lives, not the money you made at a 9-5. And when you're sitting there evaluating your life, remember this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”
I want to thank every person that shared their advice and I hope that ten years from now, we are capable of writing ourselves a letter and see how much we’ve grown and be proud of our journey, whether it’s from regrets and lessons learned or accomplishments.
A year from now, you'll be glad you started today. Evaluate what made you fail in the past, and prepare as much as you can for the road ahead. But always remember to stay determined. Never give up.
Relationships:
Always take the time to be kind to others. You never know when one small gesture or a smile can mean the whole world to someone.
Relationships do not always last forever. But regardless of how long it was, learn from it, be a stronger person, and move on. Appreciate the love of family, friends, and significant others. Whatever separates you in the future is meant to be, so embrace what you have at the moment and learn to let things go when the time calls for it.
Life:
"God wont give you something you cant handle."
We hope in a just and fair world that good things happen to good people and bad things happen to bad people. But in life, you'll learn that good things happen to bad and good people and bad things happen to good and bad people as well. It's just the cards you were dealt with and sometimes you just cant control these things. The role you play in your own life is the ability to react to situations and the people around you. You control your ATTITUDE. You can make your life worse or you can choose to turn all the bad things in your life into a blessing and learn from them. Be a stronger person. A wiser person.
Be appreciative to all things around you and be someone that others can appreciate as well.
When you're old and graying, you will have wanted to have succeeded in life. To know you made a difference in others lives, not the money you made at a 9-5. And when you're sitting there evaluating your life, remember this quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:
To laugh often and much;
To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others;
To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.”
 |
| This is a photo of me when I was 18!!! |
I want to thank every person that shared their advice and I hope that ten years from now, we are capable of writing ourselves a letter and see how much we’ve grown and be proud of our journey, whether it’s from regrets and lessons learned or accomplishments.
 |
| This is a photo of me today! http://www.userofreality.com/ |
Thank you for visiting my blog! If you would like to
share your advice to yourself with me, feel free to e-
mail me at misslerich@lerichcouture.com
share your advice to yourself with me, feel free to e-
mail me at misslerich@lerichcouture.com
Visit us on the web at www.lerichcouture.com and
follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/LeRichCouture
follow us on Twitter at
http://twitter.com/#!/LeRichCouture
Love,
Esmeralda
Miss Le Rich
Miss Le Rich
Beauty*Strength*Destiny
No comments:
Post a Comment