A letter to my future self – 5 years later

Happy New Year everybody 🙂 Several years ago I started a blog where I talked about life, happiness, and just ‘general stuff’. Like many projects I get into, it started strong but eventually fizzled out. Well, I recently dug up that blog to see if there was anything I wanted to resurrect before I destroyed it completely. Most of the posts I’d like to never read again… 😉 But a few really stood out, including this post I wrote FIVE years ago as a letter to myself.

Here’s a copy of the letter from 2012 (including a pic for dramatic effect):

Dear Future Me,

In one year, I want to read this letter again. I’m writing it so I can remember how I feel right now. If my future self is anything like my past self, I won’t want to read a long letter, so I’ll try to keep this short.

HEALTH
I have big expectations for myself. When I read this letter again (in 2013), there are a few things I expect to have happened. To start, I better have gone to the dentist. Twice.

MONEY
I expect to be paying MORE than the minimum on at least ONE of my student loans.

BABY FEVER
No matter how baby crazy all my friends and colleagues are getting, don’t even THINK about having a baby yet. I know myself, and when others start having babies, I won’t stop thinking about them. Well get over it. No babies yet, please.

SLEEPING HABITS
New Year’s resolutions are one thing, but let’s get real. If my future self is still staying up too late and sleeping in too late, I need to get my act together! I’ll never get a promotion if I keep strolling into the office at 10am. Plus, it puts bags under my eyes.

MINIMIZE
If my future self still has a closet full of clothes and only wears half of them… she should be ashamed. I’ve been trying to downsize my wardrobe for years. In a year, I expect to have made some progress.

IF THINGS SHOULD CHANGE IN A YEAR, I WANT TO REMEMBER THAT AS OF APRIL 2012…

-I have a happy marriage.
-Living below my means now will pay off in the future.
-The friends and relationships I have are amazing. Try to keep in touch.
-My jaw cracks constantly. It’s only going to get worse.
-Money isn’t everything.
-Materials aren’t everything.
-Did I mention money and materials aren’t everything?

….Pretty funny, but I’d say I’ve grown into a woman my past self would approve of!

Here’s the good:

– I’ve gone to the dentist twice a year since 2013
– I paid off over 20k of my student load debt. (Yes you heard that right!).
– I still believe that material possessions are not nearly as important as the people and experiences in your life.
– I’ve cut my closet by more than half using The Kon Mari Method (I talk a little about that here)
– I’m still happily married!

…Now for the bad:
– My jaw still cracks… every time I open my mouth it cracks and during stressful times it can lock shut for up to a week. 🙁
– I haven’t kept up with old friends as well as I’d like. This is something I hope to change. Perhaps that needs to be my new years resolution…?!
– I still have poor sleeping habits. In fact… it’s after midnight now. I guess I better finish this blog post and go to bed. Goodnight!