Advice to My 35 Year Old Self

Yesterday I celebrated my 45th birthday. As I reflected on how old I am now and how much has happened in my life, I thought back to the time when I was 35. Looking back, I think I looked my best and felt my best at that age. The problem is, I didn’t realize it at the time!

So, I thought about what I would say to my 35 year old self if I could go back in time.

Here are a few things I came up with:

• You know those 10 pounds you want to lose? Yeah, well what if I told you that one day you’ll have 50 pounds to lose? Don’t stress over those 10 pounds. Instead, focus on getting and staying healthy.
• Don’t stress over the small stuff. Yes, a lot of what you stress over is small and in the end does not matter. Focus on the important things in life.
• That leadership position you just finished will lead you to more opportunities to serve. Get your mind focused by spending time in God’s word seeking His plan for you.
• Don’t be afraid to chase after your dreams. God has put dreams in your heart and mind that can only be accomplished with His help. Take a leap of faith and quit waiting for the “right” time.
• When you say your family comes first, show it in your actions. Don’t sign up to help somewhere and then resign when you realize you are taking too much time away from your family responsibilities. There will be time to serve later.
• Find you 2 or 3 good friends to walk through life together. You will need the support and fellowship to make it through.
• Be content with where you are and with what you have.
• Stop chasing the worldly things and strive for eternal things.
• 45 is not as old as you think it is!

Yes I spent a lot of time in my 30s worrying about things that either never happened, or they were just too unimportant to worry about. I think we could all look back at our lives with some regret over chances we didn’t take or allowing fear to control our lives.

After I thought about what I’d say to my 35 year old self, I began to wonder what my 55 year old self would say to me today. I have a feeling she would say some of the same things. Even though seasons of life change, some basic needs that we have never change.

We need:

• A deep relationship with God.
• Good friends.
• A purpose in life.
• To feel needed and wanted.

I hope in 10 years I can look back and see that I took more chances, radically relied on God, and made a difference in the world around me.

What advice would you give to a younger woman?