What a beautiful question by IndiaUnited this week. Lately, thereâs a trend in social media where people are posting their AI-generated pictures with their younger selves. Itâs sweet, isnât it? Seeing people revisiting their childhood
Source: Chatgpt generated
Well, if I could actually sit down with my younger self, the first thing Iâd do is just hug her, smile, and tell her, âYou did alright, kid.â I wonât rush to give her advice or fix anything. Iâd probably start with âTake a deep breath. You donât need to have it all figured out right now.â
Because thatâs exactly what I wish someone had told me that itâs okay to not know. Itâs okay to stumble, to fail a few times before finding your way. Everyone has their own routes. The longer route doesnât mean you failed; it often ends up teaching you the most. Things you thought were breaking you were actually shaping you into someone youâll one day be proud of.
Iâd tell her to stop shrinking yourself to make others comfortable. To laugh louder. To take up space without guilt. Iâd tell her that saying ânoâ doesnât make her difficult; it makes her honest. Not everyone will stay, but thatâs alright. The right ones will stay.
Iâd tell her that sometimes what you think is best for you isnât. That God always has a better plan, even when it feels like the opposite. Youâll question it, cry over it, maybe even fight it, but one day youâll look back and say, âOkay, now I see why.â Trust the process. Whatâs meant for you will find its way, even if it takes time.
And yes, heartbreak will hurt kid, they are meant to. Doesnât mean you wonât give someone a chance. Itâll make you think itâs the end of everything. But it wonât be. Youâll survive it. Youâll rebuild. Softer, wiser, and somehow more you. Pain is just a lesson to be more of yourself.
In the end, Iâll just thank her for being brave, for dreaming even when things didnât make sense, for showing up when it wouldâve been easier to give up. Trust the plan, even when it feels messy. The world gets kinder. And so do you. Because without her, there wouldnât be me.
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