A Letter to My 17 Year Old Self
Hey bud, you just got home from a school assembly with that rock band where your buddy got inspired to start a band and asked you to join. Enjoy that while you can but understand that this is only the beginning for you. Your love for the guitar is going to increase with every hour of practice you put in. Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t make it as a guitar player, because you did. When you hit a bump in the road, lean into getting better at what you love. I do have somethings to share with you that may help you shorten the path, but you don’t want it too short because what you are really after here is the experience of the journey.
There is no point of success you will reach that will make you feel good long term. You must learn to feel good first, wherever you are. Enjoy every note, every audience, whether large or small, and every interaction. Embrace great things that happen but equally important, embrace what may seem like bad things knowing that there is really no bad. It’s either good or growth. The growth times are the times to really look at and learn from and it’s these times that can sometimes be your biggest catapulted forward.
Alright, on the girl subject. Don’t be to anxious to find a girlfriend. You have a beautiful wife waiting for you, but you are not going to meet her until you are 27. You will see her walk in the door and you will know. She is everything you could want, so you’d best to just do away with the distractions of trying to make someone else into what they are not. Learn to relax in your own skin. Be comfortable in who you are. Remember, everything is going to work out for you so don’t force it. Also, when your creative writer teacher tells you, you are good at it and your public speaking teacher says you should go into to public speaking, don’t just throw away that info because it doesn’t seem like the path to your dreams. It might be a quicker one.
Lastly, let go of your need for others approval. It’s not important how anyone else feels about you. It’s only important how you feel about them. Look people in the eye, listen to them intently and when you have a chance, help others out. Not for some imaginary reward, but for the enjoyment of the experience. Know that your life is going to be one of adventure. Your kids will think it’s normal while others will wish they were able to live like you do. Know that you are not striving for some end destination here but to experience a life fully that will go fast.
