BLOG STYLE POST

TALKING TO MYSELF
By Sofia Mediza | January 18

There are times when I take a moment to have a look at the past, and I don’t recognise
myself. It’s surprising how much a person can change, how much one can grow.
One day someone asked me what would I say to my 15-year-old self and, since then, I’ve
been coming to so many different answers to that question.

The first thing that came to my mind was nothing. I thought that there was any decision I
may have taken that I would change. But thirty seconds were enough to realize that it was
the biggest lie I could ever tell to myself because to learn, one needs to be able to
recognize and accept its own mistakes and bad decisions. After some time of time
travelling, I came up with a list of items I would tell my past self to make sure younger
Sofia knew then what older Sofia knows now.
I would start with the fact that there are no absolute truths. It doesn’t matter how deep
you search, nothing is always valid and accurate. Everything is relative and it depends on
your actions and decisions. Life is made of grey shades, so stop digging for either black or
white.

Don’t be so demanding with yourself because sooner or later you’ll achieve your goals.
Take a deep breath. Enjoy the ride. Make every day count. Go out. Laugh more. Make new
friends. Spend more time with your family and please, stop worrying about what others
may think about you. People won’t give up giving opinions about absolutely everything
but you can move on with your life ignoring the negative comments from who don’t know
who you really are.

If you don’t stop being afraid of failing, you’ll never be entirely successful. There will be
times when you won’t feel like trying or you may think that the effort it’s not worth it. But
it is. And how much. Even the smallest steps will have a great impact on your life.
I would advise that 15-year-old girl to stop looking so hard for things to happen. I would
tell her to be patient because the good ones come in time. Take it easy because they are
waiting for you to be ready.

The most important suggestion I would give to myself is to stop worrying about
insignificant issues. Life is too short even though you feel you have plenty of time.
Appreciate what you have and the ones who love you. Don’t argue. Make them know you
care. Be grateful.

I would also like to tell to my present self that even though I sometimes may feel I have
figured everything out, I didn't even get to the middle of this race called life. I still have my
whole life ahead of me and I am going through so many transitions that I wake up being a
little different every day.
Looking back on who I were, the challenges I’ve faced, and the aims I've achieved these
years has helped me grow in many aspects of my life. We don’t usually take the time to
reflect on our past selves and our present selves, but it’s a great exercise that everyone
should do.

Unluckily, there is no way to warn our past selves about the future. Most of the time we
don’t know if we are taking the best choice or if our actions will have consequences. I
wasn't always the smartest, most mature, or happiest but I tried my best. I am still
learning but I wish my past self knew that everything would end up working out in the
end.