I am sure you would have come across this question at some point or the other. What was your immediate reaction?
Nostalgia … Flashback mode … 10,15,20 years ago …
You will probably start recollecting events in your life where you might not have made your mark, a phase wherein you could have done something better, past failures etc.
In the end, you might even come to a realization “If only I really had the chance to be my younger self again, I would have done this … done that … changed this …changed that …”
STOP!
This kind of thinking will take you nowhere realistic but only to a day-dreaming land.
Instead of thinking what you would tell your younger self, understand the actual scenario that lies right before you! It’s not over yet!
You might have crossed the age in certain aspects but your younger self will remain young forever provided you nurture it in the right manner.
Yes … Imagine your younger self is within you and start planning what you would want it to do and start implementing it.
Understand that the life clock for each one of us is different and our younger self will get active the moment we allow it to. It doesn’t necessarily depend on your age! Your younger self may have been immature, emotionally weak, not having a sense of direction and so on. Bring it back on track!
Let me share with you a few points which I did tell my younger self and also made sure that I started implementing them. As you read on, take a paper & pen – note down what you really want to tell your younger self, point by point.
Do Not Limit Yourself
As a child, I had a lot of dreams. However, unknown fears ruled over them. My own limiting beliefs made it all the more difficult for me to achieve what I wanted to. One of my dreams was to speak bravely in front of people.
It was not that I did not have the chance to speak earlier. It was only that I was giving more preference unknowingly to my unknown fears.
We used to have a lot of family get-togethers wherein amazing events were organized to encourage children to showcase their talents. I used to admire some of my brave cousins who would speak boldly in front of people. I would remain extremely silent. No matter how much a few of my well-wishers cajoled me to speak up, I wouldn’t as I was not able to. After going home, I would imagine myself speaking about the same topics! Imagine the applause … Imagine people recognising my talent … Imagine seeing awestruck expressions all around … Where were they? Nowhere to be found … This pattern continued over the years. However, I still wanted to speak up. Then one day, an announcement was made in the organization I was working for. “Toastmasters is coming to our campus!”
As many of you are aware, it is a non-profit organization started by Dr. Ralph. C . Smedley to help people overcome the No.1 fear in the world, ie Public Speaking and thereby become better Communicators and Leaders.
It took a split second for me to make the decision. “Enough of my fears! I am going to join!” And … join, I did. I will be completing 5 years as a Toastmaster this June J
This amazing organization opened the doors to several opportunities and more importantly is helping me become my better self day by day!
Do not limit yourself. You can never guess how much you are capable of achieving. Just give yourself the permission to break your limiting beliefs. You will surely exceed your self-imposed limits. My younger self is working hard at it and will continue to do so for the years to come.
This amazing video by Sadhguru focuses on the very basic reason why people fear something.
Almost There But Not Yet There! Where Do I Stand?
The cut-off marks for admission to one of the prominent High Schools in Bengaluru was 555. My score was 551.
The cut-off marks in one of the well-known PU Colleges in Bengaluru was 553. My score was 548.
I missed distinction quite narrowly in my Graduation.
The same happened while getting employment in a prestigious MNC – made it till the final round and lost by a very narrow margin. Trust me! This was mentioned by one of the Founders of the company himself! He even took an extra step of recommending my profile to one more division.
Now, the question which haunted me was “Where do I stand?” I was neither a failure nor an achiever either!
It was then that I realized where I was going wrong. A narrow miss may not be as narrow as it seems. I increased my efforts and revamped my approach too. Things started changing afterwards. The quality of results improved over time and it still is.
I know that there is a long way to go but my younger self will keep working at it till it reaches a state of excellence.
See Life From A Different Perspective
You will be able to succeed better when you develop the ability to manage failure better. This is what I learnt through tough experiences in the past.
When things fail, you have a choice – start from Ground Zero all over again with renewed vigour or give up. The former always works.
Train yourself to see life from a better perspective. It will surely improve your quality of life.
When you do this, it surely does not mean that toxic people in your life will change, troublesome situations will disappear and so on. Your response to all these change over time and you will be able to fine-tune your mind to take in only what really matters to you in the long run.
It will widen the horizon of your thought process and you will have a solution to any situation in hand. This will inturn help you remain peaceful thereby negating the stress factor which will otherwise occupy your mind and drain you of precious emotional energy day in and day out.
Again, my younger self is being tuned to look at life in a positive perspective on a regular basis. I do fail at times but recover soon.
Taking Revenge Isn’t Good. However, Feeling Bad Isn’t Either!
Like many of you out there, even I did go through phases where people and situations did hurt me to the core. However, I do not believe in revenge as it is a waste of time and also a weak emotional reaction.
The only mistake I made was feeling bad about myself for the emotional pain inflicted on me. However, I did realize over time that it is an absolute waste to end up spending extra time for unwanted people and situations. My younger self is constantly at work in that area.
Are you facing a similar situation wherein you slip into the past and get lost there? Well! Don’t … Life may give you a second chance but not the luxury of too many chances one after the other.
Infact, you need to tackle this issue at the subconscious level. This is what you can possibly try out …Imagine the person or situation which is constantly haunting you. I am sure you will be seeing it in colour. Imagine that this picture is turning into a black-and white image and push it away from your mind. Practice this on a regular basis. Your visits to a useless past will eventually reduce and you will be right on track on the road to a glorious future!
Your Younger Self Will Always Remain Young.
It Is Only With An “I Give Up” Attitude That You Grow Old!
Originally published at satishrao.in