What would you tell yourself if you knew you would know it was you?

[xisnotx]

What would you say to yourself if you knew you could say something to yourself, and the you that you knew was you would know that it was you, but the you that told you didn't know it would be you?

Helpful to think about it as if a person is always changing. So every instant there is a new you...

Like, for example, if you recieved a letter from yourself, but couldn't recall what was in that letter, or even writing it, or it ever even having existed, what would be in that letter?

Or more appropriately, what would you write in that letter now? Trusting, but not knowing, that another you would read it?

" Dear __________,

This is me. I know you can't possibly know that...because you don't ever remember writing this, but I can assure you that you did. You will have to trust me on that.

Anyway, I would just like to tell you that....."

Or, simply "What would your future self tell your present self?"

(Assuming your future self includes all of your future self, all of your past self, and all of present self)

 

[Munchies]

I wish i knew what i know now when i was younger that's it

 

[violaine]

I'd tell my younger self that she's right. She always knows what is best for her. Ditch people who aren't a good fit for your vision of how you want your want life to be. Maybe practise piano a little more than she does. And that life is going to end up being fantastic and everything she wanted it to be once she's free and clear. ))

 

[Lark]

My future self would tell my present self the winning lottery numbers and also what were the best picks for investments.

 

[Rasofy]

Dear Young Rasofy,
If only you knew you could do much better than this. Don't ever let the wrong people affect your self image. Most people don't think as much as you do before talking bs, so don't take what they say too seriously. Above all, keep in mind that where there's a will, there's a way. But praying won't get you anywhere. Don't you think it is a bit weird that people thank God when something good happens, but when something bad happens it's always our fault? You have to believe in yourself and take control of your life.

 

[Xenon]

What would you say to yourself if you knew you could say something to yourself, and the you that you knew was you would know that it was you, but the you that told you didn't know it would be you?

Or, simply "What would your future self tell your present self?"

Ah, I get it. Let's see. Maybe something like:

Dear Young(er) Self,

You know that fantasy you have in your mind, where you imagine a time when life is pain-free and effortless and you're brimming with confidence and everything you want - satisfying relationships, fulfilling achievements, happiness, admiration and attention - comes easily because you've reached that final endpoint where you've solved all your problems for good, and your vulnerabilities and fears are a thing of the past? Yeah. It's not going to happen.

And that isn't the bad news you think it is. No one, including the people you like and admire greatly, is in this position. Most adults carry around more vulnerability inside them than you think. Most people have to fight themselves at times, to move forward when they feel afraid or uncertain, to take action when they don't know what the outcome will be, to struggle. If you want your life to open up, if you want to get out of your self-imposed trap, you will need to accept this and work with it. Don't wish for a day when your vulnerabilities and fears will disappear; practice allowing them to be there and doing what seems best anyway.

You life can become much better than it is. But give up the dream of it ever being easy.

 

[xisnotx]

You life can become much better than it is. But give up the dream of it ever being easy.

This is what I was kind of looking for.

I'm not sure if this realization is a particularly helpful one or not. I don't doubt the truth of it, not anymore at least. With this realization, where do you go? How do you set up your life? What goals and challenges do you give yourself?

 

[xisnotx]

dp

 

[Xenon]

This is what I was kind of looking for.

I'm not sure if this realization is a particularly helpful one or not. I don't doubt the truth of it, not anymore at least. With this realization, where do you go? How do you set up your life? What goals and challenges do you give yourself?

I don't know where I'm going myself. I'm not much of a long-term planner. But I do expect it to be more interesting and fulfilling than most of my life has been. For most of my life, I have had an almost automatic response to either endlessly procrastinate or stop entirely when I felt some sort of resistance in myself, and that contributed to me missing a lot of opportunities to explore and dabble and build relationships and have new experiences, and I ended up chronically isolated and empty.

Whether that idea is helpful or not to you depends on whether these are issues for you in the first place. For plenty of people, they aren't. Plenty of people have been active and willing to take risks most of their lives, and have trusted themselves to be able to deal with their fear or self-consciousness or a potentially bad outcome or whatever. This is something I only really came to accept quite recently, and I would have had an easier time of it if I'd accepted it earlier.

I'm actually not sure how my past self would have received that message...I can totally see myself going, "Yes, yes, life is hard, I know that," without really understanding or accepting the shift in attitude I'd need to have.

 

[garbage]

I'm actually not sure how my past self would have received that message...I can totally see myself going, "Yes, yes, life is hard, I know that," without really understanding or accepting the shift in attitude I'd need to have.

My thought exactly. For that reason, I can't say much in a letter, really; I kind of had to experience all of the stuff that a letter wouldn't quite capture.

My future self would tell my present self the winning lottery numbers and also what were the best picks for investments.

At least someone took a valuable lesson away from Back to the Future II.

 

[TaCoThEiViNgMeNaCE]

I'd tell me that me should've listened to me the first time. Now me'll just have to deal with the consequences me brought on myself.

 

[garbage]

I'd tell me that me should've listened to me the first time. Now me'll just have to deal with the consequences me brought on myself.

Dear future self,

Here's what I need to do in order to avoid being banned from TypoC:

[...]

--TaCoThEiViNgMeNaCE

 

[iwakar]

Dear future self,

Here's what I need to do in order to avoid being banned from TypoC:

[...]

--TaCoThEiViNgMeNaCE

I can't tell if that username's typoed because of a misspell or a missing consonant. Taco the living menace? Taco the thieving menace? Which was intended? We may never know!

Oof! And to stay on topic, I would tell myself to WRITE MORE, PITY PARTY LESS!

 

[Munchies]

I wish i knew what i know now when i was younger that's it

I totally agree with you, like, wtf

 

[Laurie]

Don't do it!

 

[Oaky]

I'd tell myself to be excited. Lots of fantastic things will happen.