Dear Mandy,
I can’t begin to tell you how psyched I am you FINALLY plucked up the courage to leave that job and all the stress and anxiety that came with it behind No matter how much you tried to contort yourself it was never a good fit. It looks like you forgot a little of yourself for a few (10!) years or so, but I am relieved and happy you are back on track!
Here are a few things you should know (or remember) about me. I like myself, I know I deserve to be happy and I am confident I will be happy. Life is limitless and it has amazing things in store for us. Don’t forget that. I know you struggle with thinking you are too old or your best years are behind you, they’re not. You just need to make sure you keep focused on the now, if you focus on what you haven’t done, you will fall back into that trap of inertia and fear. And we are not scared. We are excited. Remember when you studied in London and lost all that weight and how free you felt? You can do it again. You are doing it again!
Also, I don’t really care what people think about me, but you do, you let your apprehension over what people will think about you hold you back. Who cares? Who cares if you slip or look silly or foolish? What’s the big deal? Loosen up sister! We spent too much of our life as a wallflower, I thought we left that behind! Move forward, not back.
I know I deserve all the good things that come my way, and I expect good things. Sometimes you expect the worst or you don’t feel like you’ve earned the good or you deserve happiness. Why the hell not?! You are good, your are loving and you are worthy of love. Get over it. The shy chubby kid, the outgoing fun Mandy, and the one working on her list now, we are all the same person, we are all in there, but who we become, that is up to you.
Now I know, you are reading this thinking, “I was a naive 20 year old, what did I know?” You think I am adventurous and confident because I am young, you think I know little of the world and have nothing to lose. Well, that may be true but, what do you have to lose? I may be naive but I am also open to all life has to offer. There are no limits to what you can achieve. It’s all still out there waiting for you. So go get it! Make us proud!
Love,
You xoxo
Bravo! I remember 20 yr old Mandy & she ROCKED! She took control once & she can do it again!! xoxo
Posted by: Missy | 06/08/2010 at 02:52 PM
Hey lady. Thanks for the shout out. I like your letter; it is an interesting twist on the original idea. I thought about this so much because that was such an important year for so many of us.
If you follow all of the links to Cassie's website, she started the project as a way to impart knowledge and experience for 20 year olds. Your letter would be great for her blog because it demonstrates that we can all learn from our past as much as we can impart knowledge from our experience.
Knowing you then and knowing you now, I can say that you have always had a beautiful energy and have so much to contribute to all of the people you touch!
Posted by: Michelle | 06/08/2010 at 03:43 PM