Let’s be real, no matter what I say, examples I give, or presentation in the world would keep young Bailey listening. She was stubborn and frankly, I still am, but here is some advice that maybe would’ve been useful before it was too late.
1. Don’t take yourself so seriously.
No one else does. Nobody likes a negative Nancy or a serious Sally. There is a time and place to be "serious", but don’t. It’s overrated. You will live an unhappy bitter life if you take yourself and everything else seriously. Let loose and have fun. Life was meant for you to see what this world you live in offers, have experiences that are once in a lifetime, and to surround yourself with people that are supportive and have nothing but love and respect towards you. Life is way too short to be taken seriously.
2. Getting attached to people emotionally hurts.
Everyone leaves, even if you think they are permanent ink, they’re not. They are just a pen and that's the sad truth. You will go through the most heartbreaking tragedy, it’ll leave you confused, angry, and sad. You’ll be heartbroken and in return, you’ll be afraid to get attached to people. It’s an irrational fear that you can’t let control your life and who you love. You don’t decide who you fall in love with and who you get emotionally attached to. You will learn it’s something you can’t control and you shouldn’t try to. There’s a reason you meet every person. Don’t be afraid of heartbreak, you need it in order to grow.
3. Do not shut out the people you care about because you’re sad.
Turn on some sad music for a little while, then get up and move on. Staying sad is not going to do anything and I know for a fact you will get mad because you’re sad. Listen to some music and talk to mom. She might be able to help, just keep both ears open and promise me you’ll listen.
4. A boy will break your heart.
You will be devastated, but I promise life will go on. He will just be another boy that turned out to be what he said he never would be and something everybody said he would be. Years later you will fall in love with a guy, at a time you didn’t want love and was least expected, and he will become your world. He’s not perfect and neither are you so, give him some slack he’s trying his hardest to make you happy. He has his issues and sister so do you, change takes time. It doesn’t happen over night so don’t go thinking it does. You will have your trials and tribulations, but not a day will go by that he isn’t on your mind. Your routine with him will become what you want for your lifetime.
5. You will cry a lot over little things that feel like the world.
It doesn’t make you weak or sensitive. It makes you human. So go ahead and cry, let it all out. If it hurts you, it hurts you. Over time you will realize those things that had you crying because the world was ending was actually just a sentence in a paragraph. You’re allowed to cry, you’re allowed to scream, you’re allowed to be angry but whatever you do, do not give up.
6. You are just as important as anybody else.
It’s okay to put yourself first. Make sure you’re okay before you go making sure everybody else is. Everybody will still be able to cope their own way while you’re dealing with everything yourself. They will understand, trust me. It is okay to not be okay. I know you feel like you need to put up a front and act like everything is okay and you’re okay, but you don’t have to. Everybody has shitty days, you are no exception. Whether it’s a shitty day because you’re so in your own head you’re going crazy or something tragic just happened, let yourself feel those feelings and let it all out. Sometimes you get so caught up saying you don’t have feelings, that you actually start to believe it. But once you let that ego go, you will realize you are actually an emotional person.
7. You have always been someone that didn’t need or really want a lot of friends.
You were always content with the number of friends you had. I don’t want you to change that just because of what you see in school. You will see who your true friends are in time and trust the process. Some will have true colors that are easier to see and some you will have to wait until a storm passes to see the rainbow. Don’t be mad or upset, if they want to walk out of your life; let them. Don’t give anyone the time of day if you aren’t one of their priorities. Know that it’s okay to miss them but not want them back in your life. Memories were made and all of you have changed, it's time to move on.
8. Don’t be in such a rush.
Whether it’s to get to class or have your career, things take time and patience. A lot of patience hahaha. Something you still have to work on. You will get to class on time, trust me. You will have your career, trust me. Live life a little and enjoy the moments instead of thinking about things that have yet to happen. Rushing will just push everything further down the calendar. Things will happen when they’re supposed to, remember that. You don’t believe in god, but fate will take care of everything accordingly. So let shit happen when and how it’s supposed to.
9. Don’t keep what you want to do hidden.
It will be hard for people to understand why you want to pursue film or why you would want to get into a business like that. They might never understand your reasoning, but they will support you. If they don’t, you don’t need those people in your life even if they are related. Everybody thinks they know you and what you want to do. They will have their opinions, trust me and you will have yours. Neither one will go unheard. You will feel the need to please people and say what makes sense at the time. Don’t. You know what you want to do. You’ve known since you were seven, so don’t keep it a secret or be embarrassed. Do what you want to do, not what people think you should do.
10. There will be days that you are sad for no reason.
You will be so unmotivated, uninspired, and discouraged that you will want to end everything. You will be ready to drop your dreams and let go of your goals but don’t. Go to your place and get your head back on straight. Keep writing, taking pictures, making videos. It makes you happy, keep doing it. A very wise man that you probably haven’t met yet will always give you the best advice and tell you what you need to hear. I’m going to tell you what he told future you; "If I would bet on anyone to overcome any challenge, I’d put my money on you." You overcome any challenge thrown at you and believe me, you somehow manage to pull it off somewhat gracefully. The days that are complete shit, you get through them. You survive it, you push through. Tomorrow might not be the best, but it’s better than yesterday. You’re still alive and getting through the shit days so your time hasn’t come yet. Keep pushing through and chasing your dreams even if for a split second you think about giving up.
About the Creator
Keep reading
More stories from B and writers in Motivation and other communities.
Dear 2020,
Dear 2020, The expectations and plans I had for you were filled with a lot of firsts and unknowns. Most of those so called plans were major changes to what I’ve known thus far, but probably for the first time ever since I’ve come into existence I was excited for that ginormous amount of change. That’s until the world came to a screeching halt because of COVID-19. I’m not going to lie, I was very excited at first to just simply get a break. I was overworked and exhausted in every way possible so, my outlook on the world shutting down looked more like a blessing in disguise than anything else. That is until, unemployment never came and I got bored. Then the anxiety disorder that I didn’t think I had, became assigned to me like a role in a play and every mental issue I neglected for years shortly came to the forefront. For the first time ever, I had no distractions or excuses. I actually had to live with my issues and enjoy my own company which needless to say I hated every second of it. It also made me wonder how I have any friends because that shit was not fun. I knew I needed help, but I excused it for being busy. Having to sit with myself everyday with nothing to do, nowhere to go, and nobody to see really forced me to work on the relationship I had with myself. It turns out the most important relationship in my life was the one I neglected the most. I had a lot of anger and trauma that needed to get handled properly and in a healthy manner, which meant that I actually had to take the first steps in getting help and not just say that I’m fucked up and go on with my day like I didn’t start a war with my closest loved ones. I said last year that I was going to make my mental health a priority and I’m happy to announce I finally did. It only took a pandemic for it to happen, but beggars can’t be choosers. So, I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned over this past year was being content in your own presence is the most powerful thing you can do for yourself. 2020 has been a shit year for literally everybody, but I think it’s been a key year in everybody’s life regarding growth and change. It’s not the year anybody wanted, but it’s the year we needed. 2020 is exactly like 20/20 vision. This was the year of seeing everything for EXACTLY how it is. It was for seeing, that there is beauty in everything falling apart at the same time. We all survived the chaos not because it doesn’t throw us off or because it doesn’t hurt. We survived because we shift, we re-evaluate what’s important to us and what needs our attention. The “little” moments aren’t actually that little; they’re the things that have saved us, always mattered, and held weight despite us making it out like they’re just little things we happen to do everyday. 2020 has felt like a sledgehammer to the head a million times over, but it has actually been the best year of my life so far. It’s made me face challenge after challenge that I’ve learned to adapt and overcome. This year has forced me to grow exponentially whether it be emotionally or mentally. Definitely not physically because if you know me personally you know I haven’t grown since maybe my sophomore year of high school. This year has also brought back a true ride or die and has allowed me to make a few new ones who mean the absolute world to me. You know who you are…*clears throat* best bitches. So although this year has been horse shit for everybody in its own little way, nobody would be who they are in 2021 if it wasn’t for 2020.
By B3 years ago in Motivation
It Only Took One Minute.......
It only took a minute. I was sitting at the computer in my office when the phone rang. I picked up the receiver and then laid it down my desk as I went to find the student who the call was for. Within seconds I was back at my desk, ready to resume typing, when I heard the student yelling obscenities at me for listening in to his call through the handset that was still lying on the desk. Sick and tired of the lies he was spewing, I was up running down the hall, ready to kill him. By the time I reached him, I had calmed enough not to hurt him, but as I turned back towards my room, I knew that I couldn’t go on like this any longer. The decision was clear. I had to leave.
By Gail Wylie5 days ago in Motivation
Capturing Magic
In the world of photography, timing is the key to everything. While skilled compositions and technical proficiency are undoubtedly crucial, the perfect lighting can create the perfect photo. Nowadays, we can determine any light ourselves and are no longer dependent on any natural light source, thanks to the developed technology. We can turn every day into a night by using the right filters. And we can illuminate every night to be seen as a day. A typical process, especially in the film industry.
By Krishan Mubashar7 days ago in Photography
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.