If I Only Knew Then…

I’m not sure if anyone has even noticed, but I’ve been MIA for the last week or so. I kind of hit a bump in the road (which is all paved now) and it allowed me some time to sit and think about the past, the present and the future. This particular instance had to do with my past — made me wonder if I had made all the right decisions, what I could have done differently and what can be done now to change it all. In the end, I realized that I did everything exactly right and I am right where I am supposed to be in life, but living a life of regret, even if just for a week, brought up some really interesting questions.

The one question that helped me out a lot was…

If I could go back in time and give some advice to my younger self, what would it be? What advice would be given to 19-year old Nicole to maybe help her get through the past 10 years a little less confused?

Now, I’m not really the philosophical type, so don’t expect any life-altering moments here, but these are the three things I know now that I wish I had known then.

1. Fake it till you make it – Be confident,  no matter what! Everyone goes through a little self-doubt at one point or another, but you have to keep on truckin’. This applies to a plethora of things including being confident about you look, how you feel or how you take on the day.
2. Your parents are most likely right – I know it’s a hard concept to grasp as a teenager, it kind of feels like your parents are always giving you bullcrap advice, saying what they are supposed to say and not relating to you as a human, but they are. All the self-help books in the world can’t compare to real life experience that your parents have most likely lived through already. Whether they are trying to convince you that you will in fact one day find true love or they stress about how important education is, it’s all true. You don’t even have to let them know you’re listening, but definitely take heed.
3. Plan ahead – Again, something that can be used in a multiple of ways, whether it’s putting some money aside for a rainy day, pursuing a degree or staying healthy and fit. I know that when your young it seems like you have your whole life ahead of you, which you do, but with each day that passes, a fraction of that “whole” is coming off.  This one I guess is the hardest since it can be difficult to picture yourself in the future, but trust me on this Nicole, you’ll get there soon enough.

So tell me, what would you tell your 19-year old self? Feel free to leave a comment below or blog about it on your own site. I’d love to hear what you wish you had known then…