It is not about my younger self anymore, it is about the journey to my current and future self

What would you tell your younger self?

It is the most often asked question to anyone who has achieved a moderate level of success in life (subjective to the lens of the person asking the question)

Google search results in nearly 500mn+ responses to this question However, when I re-phrase the search to – Why do we ask this question – “What would you tell your younger self”? – Google goes bonkers, well yes, this happens to the best of technology

The question both intrigues and fascinates me, I find it fundamentally flawed for 3 reasons:

first, it is asking me to look backwards with a “corrective” lens, as if something was broken that needs fixing by soothing that younger self now

second, it undermines the learning from the mistakes and failures, as if I could have avoided them only if I knew what I know now and

third, it is dis-honoring to that fearless, naïve, beautiful younger self who took the bull (aka life) by the horn and kept getting back up

I want to change this narrative by changing the question to:

What do you tell your current self and will continue to do that in the future?
No one said it better than the iconic Maya Angelou “I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better” In other words, Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.

Our inner monologue is a powerful tool – it is our responsibility to channel us towards a forward propelling momentum

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