Monday, February 22, 2016

The Business of Being Grown-up

Dear Littler B,

Good afternoon from a very frazzled frustrated you sitting in 2016. So much to learn and never enough time to do it. I have been put to a "Blog Challenge" which will require me to tailor 4 letters of yours to certain topics.  This should be creative and fun.

http://www.womanpulse.com/2016/02/blogging-challenge-week-one-what-advice.html
Your first letter is a bit of a cheat though, for you/me. The letter today is supposed to be about what advice I would give a child about adulthood.  While I know that has got your bristly hair on your shaved head up, no I don't mean you are a "child" per se, but when you become me in your mid-forties you will realize that 16-18 is so incredibly new.

Every letter I have written to you thus far has been about advice. The things that are coming for you to prepare for. These things (for the most part) are not only things you will experience but things that many at large will go through in the journey of growing up. So, while all of my letters to you are advice I will sum up some of the big hitters.



Tweet: Always Find a Reason to Smile....
 http://bit.ly/1UrjVol via @BidyBiyBop 

Always Find a Reason to Smile








Life when you are an adult dear little me is full of responsibility. It is not a bad thing. You get to work (which you might not like) but it allows you to have money to buy the things you like. You will be pulled in all different directions to be able to juggle your responsibilities so make sure you find at least one thing to reflect on from your day that will make you smile.






Always Find a Reason to Make Others Smile

Remember, young one. While you are going to be a busy grown up - others will be as well. Do you know how good it feels to have someone compliment you or just be nice to you for no reason at all? It is just as important to give that feeling to other people. Commit a random act of kindness every day, even if it is just a little one. It may be just the thing that someone else needs to completely turn their day around.


Don't Be Afraid to Try Something New

You have so much time ahead of you and so many experiences you will have the opportunity to take part in. Don't be afraid to try something new, it will be what creates the amazing grown up that you will become. It will introduce you to new people. It will teach you things you like and things you don't.

Things I Like
Things I Don't















Take a Mental Picture 

Every chance you get, take a moment to take a mental picture of the things around you and file it in your brain-album. As your pages get filled up and you look back through them you will be amazed by the beautiful moments you have been blessed to take part in.

Don't Be Afraid to Be Yourself

There are so many people who will put expectations on you about who you should be, what you should look like, what you should believe, what you should think. At the end of the day, one of the wonderful things about being a grown up is that YOU are the one who has to live your life. Make it yours!

I have so much more I can tell you, but this letter is getting rather long. Luckily, I get the opportunity to share these and so many more ideas on an almost daily basis.

Here's looking at you kid,











Background Sound

John Mayer - No Such Thing
John Mellencamp - Jack and Diane
Ben Folds - Still Fighting It
Ataris - In This Diary
Miranda Lambert - The House That Built Me
Carrie Underwood - Whenever You Remember
Kenny Chesney - Young
Taylor Swift - Fifteen
Blink 182 - Dammit
Five for Fighting - 100 Years

24 comments:

  1. Always find a reason to smile and find ways to make others smile. That is good. In fact, it made me smile as I am preparing to give a little talk on attitude of gratitude in couple of days! :)

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    1. Thank you so much! So many people don't consciously live and love life. They want to but think they are too busy. Every minute counts!

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  3. I enjoyed a lot reading your letter to your younger self and I relate with don't be afraid to try something new and also with take a mental picture. It is such a great feeling to just stop for a moment, take a deep breath and just be there, in that moment. Without distractions, just being!

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    1. Thank you Joanna! So many forget to stop and look around them and say "This is good, this is perfect" even in a moments imperfection it is perfect!

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  4. These are great pieces of advice, especially finding something to smile about.I think sometimes, as adults, we focus too much on the problems that we forget to smile.

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    1. I agree! Especially when being taxi mom, soccer mom, ballet mom etc. There is always so much time for everything except the concept of recognizing joy and beauty. Life is too short to plow through it and not take the wonderful from it.

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  5. That's such a cool idea for a blog challenge. Letters are fading away, sadly

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    1. I am in full agreement Prerna! I remember being a child and having pen-pals across the world. It was such a joy waiting for that letter to come in the mail. The ability to pull the letter out any time I wanted and read it. In this day of information overload we have lost that personal touch.

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  6. What you wrote here are also helpful to your/our present self and future self. You really made me ponder.

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    1. Thank you Roselle! Yes, that is a lot of what is behind the entire theme of my blog. It has been a wonderful experiment on self-realization. I highly recommend it for everyone! I still look back at my first posts and take bits and pieces of the inspiration.

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  7. Oh I wish people would smile more, I am catch myself not smiling and I think why am I not? Isn't it more inviting to be smiley and happy then have no expression or emotion on your face! This is a wonderful post!

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  8. So beautiful! And insightful! Thank you for sharing!!!!

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  9. Very beautiful letter. I remember my letter writing days during grade school and high school. I have a box full of letters from my friends but I would love to make one similar to this.

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  10. So true! I love this. i have a post with different topic but similar point(s):)
    http://beinghalcyon.blogspot.rs/2016/01/17-things-i-learned-when-i-was-17.html

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  11. Awesome and true! This post is like a pointer to me as well. Honestly, i want to make a post similar to this because just like you, dear blogger, i want to know who was i, or how i handled matters when i get to look back to my younger self 20-30 years from now. ��

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  12. Don't be afraid to be yourself, yes from my growing up years this is the best advice ever. I let buffoons tell me that I was not good enough. And today I regret that. Great post

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  13. That is something that I used to do often. I wrote my journal / diary entries but someone had told me that you could mail letters to be delivered years later so I would write to myself on big days like birthday, things I dreamed about my wedding and first child. I never did get to send them to myself they are amazing reads.

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  14. I love all the points here! How are you coping up with this challenge so far?


    airinaapril.blogspot.com

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  15. I would find myself nodding to almost all of your points. Wonderful read! :D

    xx jhanzey.net

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