your 18 year old self if you had only 3 words that you could say?

This was a question prompted by a post from Jim Kwik.

It went...

"You meet your 18 year old self, you're allowed to say 3 words. What do you say?"

The question really got me thinking. To be completely honest, there are so many things I'd love to tell my 18 year old self.

1. Your hard work DOES pay off.
2. You CAN be yourself and choose a path not like those around you.
3. Your patience, self-awareness, and finally stepping into your true self will lead you to the woman you were meant to stand side by side in life with. (Hint: she's been your crush since age 10).
4. Focus on YOUR HEALTH FIRST... then help others. Not vice versa. Sleep more, meditate more, read more, exercise with more intention. Focus on true health, not just smashing weights.
5. Don't press send. Go for a walk first. ;)
6. Learn to let it go. Life is too short for grudges!
7. Protect your energy.
8. Time is your most valuable asset.
9. Put the bottle/beer down... you can be the athlete you know you can be.
10. Nobody truly knows what the hell they are doing, so you better shoot for the stars and chase after your dreams while you have the chance!
11. Expect less. The moment you tie your mood to expectations, it takes you away from having gratitude for everything you already have... being alive is enough.
12. I love you.

^^^ these are some of the things I would say.

I'd love for you to do this exercise and share if you are up for it.

The beautiful part is, a lot of these things that I wrote, I need to hear today at age 30. They are things I am still actively working on every single day.

This exercise also gives me the thought of flashing forward another 10+ years... what would that person say to my current self?

How can I take action in the current moment to make sure that the future me is extremely proud of the current me?

Okay enough rambling from me.

On Jim Kwik's post you only get 3 words to write to tell your 18 year old self.

The words that I chose were...

Speak your truth.

Why?

Because I was a sharp kid that deep down knew what he wanted out of life. Yet, I let myself, and others around me, take advantage of the fact that I was also a people pleaser.

Attention from others is a hell of a drug, and at times, I took it with reckless abandon.

I think back to when I was 23-ish and finally said enough is enough I am going down my own lane.

I rented a small room for myself outside of NYC and began my journey of reading, writing, and finding myself.

While I still had a lot of toxic habits....

I finally was beginning to speak who I truly was into existence.

And sometimes I look back and ask myself "hmmm what would life be like if I had done that sooner?"

Thats not how life works though!!!

You live, and then you learn... not the other way around.

I can do one thing to help my future...

I can ask myself in this very moment what do I need to do so that in the future I never have to ask the question "what would life be like if I had done that sooner?"

Because the present moment will be everything I have ever wanted and needed. Heck, it already is.

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If you are reading these, today I want to take some time to thank you! Some people reach out and let me know they read them, and that it makes a positive impact on their day. You have no idea how grateful I am for it. Please never hesitate to write back.

TIME is the most precious asset you have, and the fact you choose to spend some time on one of my dream's to be a "writer" ... it does not go unnoticed.

So if you have a dream that keeps you up at night, one that you know you must bring to life in this lifetime that you are so fortunate to have, please reach out to me. I would love to spend some of my time helping you bring your own dreams to life as well, just like you have done with mine.

#thriveon

CJ

p.s. today I am grateful for all the experiences from age 0-18 and 18 until now. Life is a trip, and you can choose to make it a good one... or the opposite. Always remember that.