4 pieces of advice I would give my younger self

Do you ever wish you could go back and have a conversation with your younger self? If you could, what advice would you give to yourself? Going through old photos and thinking about the past, I thought it would be the perfect time to share a few pieces of advice I would give to my younger self.

Smile more

I’ve never been a huge smiler and I always remember my great uncle telling me to smile more growing up. Looking back at the advice he gave me I wish I did more smiling as a child. I think my lack of smiling had to do with being embarrassed to be the kid with braces. But I would tell my younger self to “Smile Jewel” and rock what you are working with.

You don’t have to do it all

I’m an Enneagram three. If you know anything about the Enneagram three, we are very much go-getters. I was involved in a ton of sports and clubs, starting at a very young age. I began practicing gymnastics at age five until I quit during my senior year of high school. In addition to the gymnastics, I was one of the editors on my yearbook staff for several years, president of several clubs, and also a girl scout. So if you can imagine, my schedule was always jammed packed with events. In the last year or so, I’ve started to peel back the layers and self-reflect on how much I commit myself to outside work. Between running this blog, freelancing and working a 9-5, you can only commit yourself to so much. So to the “Younger Jewel”, no one cares how many clubs or organizations you are involved in at the end of the day. You don’t have to do it all.

Don’t take classes with your friends

I just had a conversation with my childhood friend Chantel last week and I shared that one of my biggest educational regrets was signing up for classes just because my friends were taking them in middle school and high school. I recounted a memory of my 7th grade advanced English class that I took with all of my best friends. Being a writer, I probably should have paid more attention in that class instead of socializing with my friends. We had to do a book report on a musician and present it to the class. I did my paper on the singer Jewel and brought in her music. I remember listening to my friends who were telling me to play the most popular song at the time. My English teacher, Ms. Hickman, took 10 points off my paper and said I would have gotten an A if I didn’t listen to my friends. So younger Jewel “Your friends aren’t always right and listen more because you may miss out on some fundamental teaching.”

Self-Discovery is a Lifelong Process

Life is a rollercoaster and filled with ups and downs. As a child, I had a vision that life was this cookie cutter picture-perfect realm. Each chapter in life is an opportunity to reflect and rediscover who you are. I’m doing a little self-discovery right now as an adult. If you put your power and mindset toward your goals, anything is possible. You don’t have to figure it out all in one instance. You are resilient and anytime a curveball comes your way you will make it.

What’s one piece of advice you would give your younger self? Tell me in the comments below.