Deprive Yourself of Nothing – A Birthday Message to Myself

Don’t You Worry Child – Swedish House Mafia

“Don’t you worry, don’t you worry child. See heaven’s got a plan for you.”

It has been a whirlwind month! We kicked the month off with a big vacation to Puerto Rico, which was amazing! That vacation was followed by a road-trip to Boston, potty training our two-year old (a great big adventure when you’re on a road-trip) and my big 35^th birthday.

In Puerto Rico, we kayaked the ocean at night – in the pitch dark – to see the bio-luminescent waters of Fajardo. In Boston, we watched the sunset in the park and forgot about the world. For my 35^th birthday, we did a tree-top obstacle course 35-feet in the air with a group of my closest friends. It is a month I will never forget and one in which I had a ton of time to reflect what life has been like the last ten years and what I wish for myself in the next ten years.

I found myself wondering who I would have been if I had not given myself the opportunity to get a little lost along the way in my 20s? Who would I be if I hadn’t partied the way I partied? Who would I have been if I hadn’t given myself the chance to see the world on my own as a single gal? Who would I have been if I had played it safe? Who would I have been if I had always lived in the same place? Who would I have been if I had never walked the streets of New York City at night without a care in the world? Who would I have been if I hadn’t allowed myself to learn to love my own company so much?

That got me thinking, “What would I tell 25-year old me if I could talk to her now?” I guess I would tell her this:

You’re going to have a great time the next ten years! Allow yourself the chance to get lost, to leap, to seek, to go on adventures, to focus on your career in the most selfish way, to date, to change your hair, to get wasted, to feel sadness and pain, to fall in love, to wear the highest heels, to party until the sun comes up. The world will look very different ten years from now. Communication will not be the same so enjoy the “good old days” while you have them – they are today.

You will have to say goodbye to some people and a welcomed hello to others. Do everything with complete freedom of mind! Deprive yourself of nothing. Do it BIG! Never think once of what’s ahead; that will fall into place. Don’t you worry, don’t you worry child. See heaven’s got a plan for you.

Naturally, my mind went to the future and I thought, “What would I like 45-year old me to tell the 35-year old I am today?” Well…

You’re going to have a great time the next ten years! Don’t stop seeking adventure. Don’t stop indulging your inner child. Don’t ever say the words, “I’m too old for that.” Your children will grow, the adventure will continue, never be scared. Allow yourself the chance to get lost, to find your purpose, to do what you love, to wear the highest heels, to feel sadness and pain, to experience new things, to travel, to strengthen the commitment to your love, and once in a while party until the sun comes up. The world will look very different ten years from now. Communication will not be the same so enjoy the “good old days” while you have them – they are today.

You will have to say goodbye to some people and a welcomed hello to others. Do everything with complete freedom of mind! Do it BIG! Deprive yourself of nothing. Never think once of what’s ahead; that will fall into place. Don’t you worry, don’t you worry child. See heaven’s got a plan for you.

So you see the message is always the same even if the things that happen in the years change. In the end it is always about worrying about nothing and enjoying everything. We will never remember the day-to-day occurrences as the years pass; we will remember the times as a whole. Our years stop being days and become feelings. So fill those decades with love, with fun, with the exciting prospect of the unknown, and always with adventure. That is my message to you today and that is my message to me throughout my decades.

With that in my mind, I have a little message to my next ten years: