Life Lessons: A Letter to Myself at 15

I've been seeing a lot of these letters lately and fancied hijacking the bandwagon to write my own! I have changed a lot since I was 15 and although I'm some sage old woman with knowledge beyond my lifetime, I do consider pretty well experienced for my age. So here goes...

Back when I was 15: dodgy eye-liner and all!

Dear Cate,

Yes you shortened your name to Cate, with a C! Although you don't do that for another year... I wanted to give you a few words of wisdom, being that I've literally been there and done that.

Firstly, stop worrying. Nobody expects you to be perfect so stop piling on the pressure to make yourself that way. You're loved for your kindness, your consideration and the way you try your best at everything that's thrown your way. Nobody at school cares whether you're most likely to succeed, neither should you! Your happiness is success so just focus on that and doing what you can. Enjoy being young.

Next, there are people calling you fat because you have hips and an ass... Ignore those bitches, they just haven't developed yet! Believe it or not, this is the year you meet someone really great who likes you for your hips, your eyeliner and all your other quirks. Don't take him for granted, he becomes one of your best friends! Other guys also show an interest, because believe it or not-- you actually turn out to be a bit of a swan!



Ahh that boy you're going to meet and risk it all for. He may seem great but keep your long term goals in mind and be selfish; it's your life. Maybe if you had taken this advice, the following few years would have turned out very differently. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. Having said that, you could approach several things differently and your life may have turned out so completely opposite to how it is now!

Quit stressing about food. This is linked to the pressure you put on yourself to be perfect and the assholes who called you fat. Seriously, you don't need the shit you get involved with in terms of eating disorders and the haters just aren't worth it. The demons you develop will haunt you for years to come so just please talk to someone before it becomes a problem.

Finally, just be yourself. You find your groove eventually by trying new things. You become a runner, a blogger, a great friend and someone others can truly rely on. Frankly that in itself is an achievement to be proud of. Focus on being happy, because in the future, it becomes harder for you to not let adult responsibilities get on top of you.

Lots of Love and Admiration,

22 year old Cate xoxo



Like I said hindsight is a wonderful thing but we don't have it at the time. So here is to future mistakes, decisions and life choices. May I stay true to myself and always approach life with everything I've got!

Have you got any advice you'd like to give to your past self? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below.