Have you ever thought about what you would say to yourself when you were younger  if you were reflecting back at the age you are now?   There are times when I do stop myself and think, “If I only knew this when I was 18, 19, then I’d be a lot better off”.  Of course,one of the things about getting older is that you grow and you learn.  Still, do you have anything that you would warn your former self to do or not to do since you have “seen the light”?  I do have a few words of caution that I’d lend to a 19-year-old Clandestine Chic with my newly minted 26-year-old perspective:

• Don’t ever be sorry for not compromising your beliefs.  Even if people make you feel uneasy about it or if you begin to second-guess yourself.   It is your choice to believe what you believe, and if you feel right in making decisions based on your beliefs, then that is all that matters.
• Invest more time into your longer-term goals and don’t always take the “easy” way out.  Especially if it has to do with money and positions of power.  Ask yourself if it’s really something that you want or if you are doing it “just for now”.
• Chicago is great and all, but uh, you have to travel more!  Be sure to take advantage of all opportunities and see as much of the world that you possibly can.
• Although I told you to travel as much as possible, since you’re going to remain in Chicago for awhile, take advantage of all that this city has to offer.  You haven’t even begun to chip at the tip of the iceberg in this city.
• Drink lots of water, exercise and take your vitamins.  People aren’t telling you to do this for their own health, but for YOUR own health.  Your skin, hair, and the rest of your body will thank you.
• Stop being so damn sensitive and persnickety.

• Be daring.  You’ll soon learn not to care what others think of the way you wear your hair, the clothes you wear or the music you listen to.  Push your creative buttons with these outlets.

Do you have anything that you would tell your younger self?   Words of caution?  Little nuggets of advice?   For me, I’d probably talk to myself (ha!) for hours and run down what has been great and what has gone wrong in life, but one only has so much time.

Image Source: We Heart It

A friend recommended this book to me after I told her that I was ready to give myself a mini-life makeover.  I told her that I wasn’t ready for a “self-help” book yet, but she told me that I should check it out and I’d probably think of the book as anything but self-help.  Now, I see why she liked it so much.  Written by former Honey magazine editor-in-chief Amy Dubois Barnett,  this book definitely provides a boost of inspiration.   Honey magazine was probably my favorite magazine as a teenager and I was very sad to see it fold.  I read Teen People for awhile once she took the post there as well.   Once she left Teen People, I wasn’t sure what had become of Ms. Barnett, but to my surprise, she wrote this book.

Her chronicles of her life as she was raised by a single mother who passed away way too soon and her bouts with unhappiness with just about everything in life from her boyfriend to her first job out of college would definitely keep some people straddled down and depressed.   Ms. Barnett however, lifted herself up and moved on and found happiness and she explains how she did it.  The book also provides interviews at the end of each chapter with celebrities and nice quizzes.

The book was a quick read and I won’t say that it changed my life or led me to any “awakening”, but it gave some much needed positive reinforcement.  When you feel like you’re going through a slump like Ms. Barnett and you are giving yourself a pity-party, she reminds you how you can just shake it off and go out there and “get yours”.