Three Things
Sep. 19th, 2006 03:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
orikesThere’s a meme going around where you note three things you would tell yourself if you could go back in time ten years. I’ve been pondering that a little, and I’m really not sure there’s anything I could tell myself ten years ago that would really change things. Most of the problems I have today are things I was aware of ten years ago, I just still struggle to overcome. Things like my weight, my procrastination, my financial incompetence. They’re definitely things I would like to change, but I was as aware of them then as I am now.
Going back twenty years might net a better result. At 17, I might stand a better chance of changing the bad habits I’d developed and was going to develop, whereas at 27, I was already pretty entrenched. If I only had ten years to go back to, I’d give myself some winning lottery numbers and invest it in ways that wouldn’t have gotten hurt by the crash after 9/11.
The three things I would tell my 17 year old self, though are:
1. You’re not as fat as you think and feel like you are, but if you don’t stop the self-destructive behaviors now, you will be. Get it under control now and you’ll save yourself decades worth of heartache.
2. Despite how well your parents seem like they’re doing right now, they’re financial fuck-ups and if you’re not careful, you’ll be exactly the same. Be smart about money now.
3. You’re a better artist than you give yourself credit for, but you need to forget about being an art teacher. Focus on graphic design and photography. That’s where your heart really lies.
Going back twenty years might net a better result. At 17, I might stand a better chance of changing the bad habits I’d developed and was going to develop, whereas at 27, I was already pretty entrenched. If I only had ten years to go back to, I’d give myself some winning lottery numbers and invest it in ways that wouldn’t have gotten hurt by the crash after 9/11.
The three things I would tell my 17 year old self, though are:
1. You’re not as fat as you think and feel like you are, but if you don’t stop the self-destructive behaviors now, you will be. Get it under control now and you’ll save yourself decades worth of heartache.
2. Despite how well your parents seem like they’re doing right now, they’re financial fuck-ups and if you’re not careful, you’ll be exactly the same. Be smart about money now.
3. You’re a better artist than you give yourself credit for, but you need to forget about being an art teacher. Focus on graphic design and photography. That’s where your heart really lies.