A common question. What would you tell your younger self if you could? Many things come to mind, but the most important one is to not stress about the future. 

To past me,

I know that every single adult in your life asks you the question of “what do you want to be when you grow up?”. But I think the real question should be, “who do you want to be right now?”. We as people spend too much time obsessing over the future and our future plans. When, all that matters is right now. Life can change in an instant and you will surely learn that when you get older. One event can throw your entire life off course. It doesn’t matter what you want to be in the future.

When people ask this fairly simple question, it doesn’t seem so simple. They are asking for you to know what you want to do with your entire life when you are just 5 years old. Right now, you would tell them you want to be a teacher. I mean, that is the one career that you come in constant contact with daily, but a few years down the line, you will be answering that question saying you want to be an orthodontist. You want to be what you see the adults and role models being in your life. A few more years down the road, you will want to be an orthopedic surgeon, but you will wonder if you are cut out for that. Trust me, you are, but follow your heart. 

You will find yourself at a crossroads, wondering whether you want to go into medicine or law. You now don’t know how to answer the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It feels like you are growing up at 100 miles per hour. You will feel like you need time to slow down. 

But then, you hit that event that changes your life in the blink of an eye. It is when you truly realize that it doesn’t matter what you want to be when you grow up, you are only 16 at this point. Spend time enjoying the present. 

Within this major life event that will crush you to pieces, where you lose your best friend and brother, you will find your true calling. After the accident you will spend a lot of time in the hospital, preparing to say goodbye. But this is where you witness what you really want to do for the rest of your life. You want to help people through things just like this. You want to be the angel on earth for families just like yours. You want to be a nurse. 

As you witness the amazing people that come and go from the room in the ICU, you know deep in your heart this is what you want to do. You have found your future. So, now you can answer that question with complete confidence. “I want to be a nurse”. You will feel that this is right for you and at this point you will have confidence in the future. With that confidence in the future, you can finally enjoy the present. 

Take it all in, because all you have is now. Don’t stress about whether you want to be a teacher or an orthodontist. Change will be the only constant in your life.  I promise you will find your true calling.

Focus on the now, 

Future Me