Letter To My Younger Self

Letter To My Younger Self (things I wish someone would have told me):

Dear Younger Self,

Style counts. Your personal panache says a lot about you. My motto has always been: "If you can't be good, at least be stylish." I don't mean it in the fashion sense. I mean that if you're going to make mistakes, make them big and make them your own. Be 100% invested in whatever you do, even your missteps. If you compromise, you'll forever wonder what could have been, and is there anything more torturous than knowing a dream was within your grasp but you didn't reach for it?

When you live true to yourself, people may not understand, and they may not agree. You've got to get past the need for approval because if you don't, you're never going to belong to you. There are energy vampires just itching to drain every last drop of authenticity and originality out of you. You were not born to live someone else's dream; you were born to be an original. Yet we keep competing and comparing as if we are cookie-cutter people. Being the same only breeds boredom and low self-esteem.

The irony of low self-esteem is that you were the only one who couldn't see how super fantastic you were. You couldn't see it because your eyes look outwards. You could only see others and they became your mirrors. They could only see the outside of you and not your eager heart, so they discouraged you from making a bold statement. They didn't realize how much you'd been given and how much you had to share. But that was way back. And here you are, miles and miles from where you started, yet your heart never outgrew the miracle of you. You never imagined it would take so much time to grow into you. All the while looking for answers outside of yourself-a detour from the main event: your precious uniqueness. The answer's been walking around in your skin the whole mixed up, messed up time.

My advice to you, younger self, is to never "dummy down" your bright sheen for someone who doesn't like sparkly things. Never apologize for your inherent quirks, oddities and original ideas, because that's what makes you...you. The world obviously needs you just as you are, or you wouldn't be here. I say: Be the freak you are. Be extravagant, be outrageous, be too much if you must, but flaunt your panache. Be the sun-kissed, fierce daredevil that was born to shake things up.

Learning your worth will take a lifetime, but it's worth the search. You'll forget who you are along the way and leave behind little pieces of your heart, given to other broken-hearted superstars. Gathering those pieces back won't be possible, there's no glue strong enough to hold it all together. Take what's left and re-invent yourself. Give the world a second version of you but make it the real one. The next you will either be hard, unyielding and sharp to the touch, or unapologetically unforgettable.

Whatever you do, don't let your greatness get you down. Wear your crown for the world to admire. If others can't see it, pity them. Perhaps they haven't discovered how to live true to themselves yet. Remember, nobody said it was going to be easy, seeing as how you're royalty and all. But nobody can do it like you can, in the exact way you can. I hope you'll fall in love with the girl-woman in the mirror. Until then, take my advice: at least be stylish.

See all of Nina's books: http://www.amazon.com/Nina-Bingham/e/B008XEX2Z0