Advice To Younger Self

Now he tells me: perhaps my younger Self, had he chosen to listen, would benefit greatly from some of the thoughts and perspectives rendered by his then-future Self. Our session will be centered around the sharing of certain such imaginary retrospections which, given the passage of life experience, might even rise to the level of pseudo-wisdom. They needn't be fancy, only heartfelt. At the very least, the older participants may be surprised, comforted, and even entertained by the commonality of respective life challenges, triumphs, and missed opportunities.

But that's not the real value of the exercise. What’s impossible for the individual’s imagined time-travel retrospection becomes feasible when it comes to generational groupings i.e. my earlier incarnation might have benefited greatly from the chance to sit in the presence of trusted elders, not as one to be lectured at, but as an equal. As such, may our session particularly embrace our younger members.

Just by way of an example is a personalized sample entry (below), inspired by our MM 10/7/19 Second Mountain session:

“Welcome to the first phase of a life journey to be marked by powerful forces – parents, teachers, peers – who will define who you are without even your conscious awareness . . . it’s as though you are a fish swimming in water that can’t even be seen . . . . you will cope as best you can, which usually means your life will feel like a kind of performance art with you as the actor surrounded by an audience watching your every move . . . you may be consumed with pleasing this imagined audience and, above all, avoiding the shame of missteps. . . . this fear of shortcoming may continue in various forms as you begin the long climb up a culturally-defined First Mountain of success – it’s so easy to gauge where you stand as your check-the-box progress is readily measurable through grades, resume, accolades . . . . and, then, at some point, you come to realize that you have essentially outsourced your sense of Self . . . and then, for a variety of reasons, you may be blown off that First Mountain as that exoskeleton collapses to find – what, exactly, a new freedom? . . . . . perhaps a Second Mountain beckons on which to find some transcendent joy more fitting for a eulogy than a resume (at least that’s what I read but I’ll let you know after I attain more life experience myself). . . . all I know for sure is that you will be faced with innumerable life choices and whether they turn out to be good ones or bad ones cannot be determined until the fullness of time, if then (reference MM 6/10/19 Good/Bad . . . We'll See) . . . . in the end, though, just remember yours is simply one more life narrative among so many others, so keep that in perspective as you remain humble, grateful, and, above all, mindful of the power and consequences of your inevitable attachments throughout your life . . . all in all try to remain authentic (even if that translates as Dare to be Dull (I'm Thrilled)).”

Speaking of which, try best to be totally transparent within this Securus Locus environment as you take a shot at providing some Advice, whether it be broadly philosophical or just pithy – nothing is being graded or judged :) Let it flow spontaneously from within, if possible, but there’s plenty of inspiration on the internet, such as A Message To My Younger Self (James Altucher).