If you could go back in time and give your younger self advice, what would it be?

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If I Could Go Back and Give My Younger Self Advice…

Hands down, get the degree you actually want!

Now, I do have an associate degree in advertising and design, and I’m proud of that. But if I could sit down with my younger self, I’d tell her to pursue a field she’s passionate about instead of choosing a path simply to make her parents happy.

There’s a difference between building a life that looks good to everyone else and building one that feels right to you.

I understand why parents encourage practical choices. We want our children to support themselves, pay their bills, and have opportunities. But somewhere in those conversations, we need to ask what they want, too.

What interests them? What are they good at? What kind of life do they hope to build?

Their answers deserve a place in the plan.

If I could do it all over again, I would study interior design and explore architectural design alongside it. Oh, the things I could have done!

I’ve always loved writing, painting, decorating, and creating. I suppose that bohemian artist has been living inside me all along, waiting for more room to stretch out.

That part of me never disappeared. Life simply became busy with work, raising children, and handling all the responsibilities that come with being an adult.

Still, creativity found its way into our home.

I used to bring home those giant newspaper end rolls, spread them out in the driveway, and sit with my children painting.

We didn’t need an expensive art studio or fancy supplies. We had paper, paint, imagination, and time together.

I wonder how much they remember.

The colors? The mess? Sitting outside with their mama?

Whatever stayed with them, I hope they remember the freedom to create something just because it made them happy. They didn’t have to sell it, win an award, or turn it into a career. They could enjoy making it.

Those memories matter to me now.

I may not have pursued every creative dream I had, but I made room for creativity in our lives. I hope some of that joy stays with them and finds its way into the memories they create with their own families.

If I could give my younger self another piece of advice, I’d tell her to be present for her life.

Don’t rush through your twenties trying to get to your thirties. Don’t spend your thirties believing you should already be somewhere else.

Make plans. Work toward them. But notice the life happening while you do.

The kitchen will be messy. Someone will need something. There will be laundry, bills, and days when you cannot imagine getting a quiet minute.

Then there will be a moment in the driveway with paint everywhere, and you won’t know yet how precious it will become.

Pay attention to those moments.

And give yourself grace through the difficult parts.

You won’t get every decision right. You’ll trust someone you wish you hadn’t. You’ll stay somewhere too long or miss an opportunity you weren’t ready to recognize. Occasionally, you’ll look back and wonder what in the world you were thinking.

Be honest about what you can learn. Make amends where you need to. Then allow yourself to keep growing.

You don’t have to spend the rest of your life punishing a younger version of yourself for something you now understand differently.

And please, don’t be afraid to change direction.

You may discover an interest you never expected. You may return to something you loved before life became crowded. You may find that a dream you set aside still matters.

Give it some room.

At 60, I am writing, creating, and pursuing goals that continue to surprise me. I still have things to learn and ideas I want to explore.

Holding a book with my name on it matters to me. So does remembering the woman who loved creating long before she knew where it might lead.

She is still here.

Thinking out loud…

Would I change a few things if I could go back?

Absolutely.

But I can also appreciate the life I have lived—the children I raised, the memories we made, and the creative part of me that kept finding somewhere to show up.

I’d tell that younger girl to trust her voice and make a little more room for herself.

Learn how to support yourself. Ask questions about the work you want to do. Consider the costs, the opportunities, and the skills you will need. Take your dreams seriously enough to make a plan for them.

And remember that creativity can have a place in your life whether it becomes your career or remains something you do for joy.

You can build a life that pays the bills and still make room for the things that make your soul come alive.

Listen to the wisdom of those who love you. Let it inform your decisions.

But don’t let someone else’s dream become the blueprint for your life.

You have one life to live.

Make room for the things that make it yours.