An Open Letter to Myself (If I Could Start Life Over Again)

Dear Lahla,

As you start anew, these are the three life lessons I’ve selected to hold onto as the rest of your memories wash away and you begin again. Keep these, Lahla.  You’ll see…

  1. Deal with your problems right away, no matter how big or small.  They don’t go away, but pester, nag, and haunt you.  They reemerge in other places or with different characters and things, but in essence are the same.  If you’re having trouble trusting, learn to trust.  If you’re afraid to try, try anyway and see what happens.  If you keep ending up with bad partners, consider who’s choosing them and why.  Don’t run and hide, Lahla.  Deal with them.  Right away.  While they’re small.  Time makes them exponentially more complicated and difficult.  And Lahla, as you deal with the small issues, you will continue to get even more small issues, but they’ll be different.  This is a normal part of life which allows you to learn, grow, and flourish as a person.
  2. Listen to others and be true to yourself.  These sound like two different things but work best together.  Lahla, you don’t have to solve every single problem in the world.  Many wise people have come before you and learned valuable lessons and strategies in life.  Rather than learning the hard way over and over, use your two ears and listen.  The time to be in charge is when you take all of the precious information and decide what to do.  You don’t have to do anything or everything they say, but take advantage of the information they’re generous enough to share.  Ultimately you can make better, less painful decisions in life if you remain true to yourself as you consider all of the information shared with you rather than learning everything the long and hard way.
  3. Attitude is everything.  Try to look for the positive throughout your life.  You’d be surprised how many things do and don’t happen for a reason.  Disappointment and sorrow are valid, so after you give yourself some time to process these, try to look at them again with an open mind.  How can you make things good now?  Things have an upside, Lahla.  Keep your eyes open.  Look for the good- you often see exactly what you’re looking for.  You’ll be happier.

Are you ready to start again, Lahla?  Give these a go.  You’ll see…

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