Sally shared the following post on Instagram for her birthday last week. It was so inspiring, we just had to post it here.
Last week I turned 50! 🎂🙌 This driver’s license photo was taken when I was 25… exactly half of my life so far.
I wish I could go back to my younger self, and proudly introduce her to her older self. I bet she’d feel pretty darn satisfied with her progress. I’d agree.
Here’s what I’d tell her…
A few years after this picture was taken, she’ll start worrying about wrinkles. I’d tell her that laugh lines are a badge of honor. Confidence is the greatest cosmetic. She’ll outgrow pretty, but never outgrow beautiful.
I’d thank her for working so hard to build a career… but that she should start to focus more on building a life.
I’d try not to lecture her, at least not too much. For instance, now that she’s 25, it’s time to stop drawing her name with a hog. (My 25-year-old self would get miffed if I say this, but I’d say it anyway.)
She’ll go on to change careers several times, write four books, win a shelf of awards… but the framed certificates will fade and the golden trophies tossed in the trash, because applause is approximately .001% of success.
Within a few years she’ll have periods of high anxiety and deep sorrow. I’d probably decide not to tell her this, because preparation isn’t the same as prevention. And anyway, critics are the price of being extraordinary.
In just a few years from when this picture was taken, she’ll achieve her life’s greatest accomplishment… Childbirth.
I’ll try to explain she will love her children in a way she can’t even possibly grasp until they’re born. She won’t really get it. Nobody does until they become a parent.
What would you want your younger self to know when they’re half your age?
Me, I’d look her in the eye, and tell her to refuse to dumb down, water down, or bow down.
Being fascinating is her birthright.
Live according to what’s possible, instead of being confined by what is. Never be afraid to laugh loudly, love madly, and live fascinatingly.
And no matter what, under any circumstance… Get that frizzy hair under control, girl! 🙂
