Looking through some old photos the other day reminded me of articles I’ve read where people have written letters to their younger selves sharing lessons, insight and advice. Hindsight is a wonderful thing but unfortunately we can’t change the past. Yesterday is gone. We can change today though. So it got me thinking … What would a letter from my older self say if it popped through my letter box, pinged into my inbox or flashed up on my whatsapp today?
I’m going to be 59 in a few weeks. What would my five or ten years older self say to me about the things that sometimes keep me awake at night, the way I look today and the plans I have for the future? What would she urge me to stop doing? And what would she encourage me to start doing today and every day until I’m 64 or 74?
I’ve posted recently about how when we set our brains a task it starts looking for the answer. It's like google. You input a question or tell your brain what you’re looking for and suddenly answers and suggestions start popping up out of nowhere (you just have to keep an eye out for them.)
So having asked my brain what my older self would say to me, I woke up a few days ago and got the answer when I saw this saw this photo of 75 year old Anne Dockery by photographer Alex Rotas in one of my facebook groups. (Anne started running at the age of 55 and Alex “challenges stereotypes about ageing through photography, speaking, broadcasting and writing.”)
Luckily the answer wasn’t to start running – phew! The three words that popped into my head the minute I saw this photo were: find your joy. Find the thing that lights you up inside, shines out of your eyes and your smile and can be felt by everyone around you. The words were so loud and clear that I knew they had to be the answer to my question. I think I'm living my best midlife. My worklife is balanced and I'm finding joy in lots of different things. But maybe there’s something missing. The “one thing”, as Curly said to Mitch in the film City Slickers. If you haven’t seen it (you must!), here’s the clip: https://youtu.be/2k1uOqRb0HU. The challenge, of course, is to figure out what that “one thing” is. So the search begins and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it.
My older self might have a few more suggestions – she’s a wise woman and she knows me so well – but “find your joy” would be the first three words after “Dear Claire …” And they’d probably be in bold.
What would your five or ten years old self say to you if you received a letter, text or email from him or her today? What would the first three words be? When you have the answer - or if your goal is to find it - let's have a chat about how lifecoaching can make it happen.
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