Of course, I waited until the day before
her birthday to actually sit down and write something. I tried to keep it
short. But, what do you say to a 16 year old without raining on her parade? Or,
without sounding like 'life is a box of chocolates' sappy about the future? We
all know there will be trials. I know I had so many I couldn't even bear to
start counting. But, the good thing is, I got through them. Most of us get
through them. And, the other thing, would I have listened if anyone had given
me the play by play book to succeed in life? Ah, probably not.
Well, I could tell you what I wrote her,
but my imagination kicked in, and I decided to play act the whole thing instead.
So
here's my version of my conversation with my 16 year old me!
OLD ME: Dilsa, Dilsa, Dilsa. You are a very talented
young woman. And what's so great is that you have so many talents. But, the
problem is, you have so many talents you are scattered. Have you given any
thought to what you would like to do with your life?
16 YR OLD ME: I want to dance.
OLD ME: Okay, you are good at that.
16 YR OLD ME: No, I want to be an artist.
OLD ME: Yes, you are a very talented artist.
16 YR OLD ME: No, wait. I like
to tell stories. I want to write. I want to become a writer. No, no. Maybe a
singer.
OLD ME: I have heard you
sing. You can carry a good tune.
16 YR OLD ME: No, an actress. I'm creative. I have a
creative soul.
OLD ME: Hmmm. Sounds to me
like you a scattered soul. See what I mean. Out of all those things, what is it
that stops time for you? What is it that you really, really love to do, can't
live without?
16 YR OLD ME: I don't know.
OLD ME: Think about it. How do you feel when you do
each of these things? What makes you the happiest?
16 YR OLD ME: When I dance I
create stories in mind. The same thing when I paint and draw. I see a story
setting that I’m painting for. And, when I sing, I see the song’s story really
clear and I can actually feel the emotions of the song.
OLD ME: Sounds like a
trend or pattern going on. Don’t you think? Storytelling. Why don’t you focus
on storytelling?
16 YR OLD ME: Not a lot of
storytellers make a lot of money. I mean not all writers are like Stephen King
and Barbara Taylor Bradford. Most writers are like most artists, poor, broke
and hungry.
OLD ME: Where did you get
that idea?
16 YR OLD ME: My parents mostly. They think of the artistic
type as loose, druggies, poor, broke, and well just not something not to aspire
to.
OLD ME: And what do they
want you to be?
16 YR OLD ME: An accountant or a
teacher. Something like that.
OLD ME: I know you don’t
want to disappoint your family, but what do you want to do?
16 YR OLD ME: I know I don’t want
to be stuck in a room filled with kids all day, that’s for sure. I would go
insane. And even though I’m good with numbers and stuff, accounting is BORING.
OLD ME: Can I give you
some advice?
16 YR OLD ME: Sure.
OLD ME: Listen carefully.
This may make the difference between being happy and successful, or broke and
poor-spirited, okay?
16 YR OLD ME: Okay.
OLD ME: Number One. Follow your dreams. If
writing or anything else you choose stops time, or eliminates time from your
perspective, HOLD onto it. Now when I say stops time, I mean when you get so
caught up in what you are doing in that moment, that time becomes irrelevant,
you have found something that sparks your soul. You have found something that
you love.
Number Two. It’s real important that you remember this. You can’t make other
people happy by not following your dream. You are afraid you are going to
disappoint your family. I get that. But, their disappointment won’t begin to
cause the emptiness inside you that your own disappointment will. You have to
ask yourself, which would you rather live with?
Number Three. Beware of empty spaces. Yes, there will be an emptiness created,
a void, that life will do its best to fill with something if you don’t follow
your dream. Just like a weed fills the empty crack in the sidewalk, life will
try to replace your joy with something else. That something else can pose a
real danger to you. It could be something really bad or something that is just
as bad for you. Some people fill voids with alcohol, drugs, or the wrong,
negative people. Others fill those voids hiding behind their work becoming
workaholics. So AVOID the VOID. Follow your dream.
Number Four. Stay focused on your dream and prepare for it. A wise man and
many after him said in so many ways, you become what you think about. So you
should stay focused, think about writing, learning as much as can about
writing, and then write, write, write. The world will unfold a writing career
just for you. Be careful though, you will have to make a decision on the kind
of writing you want to do, or the universe will decide for you.
For instance, I have said so many times
I can’t count, that I want to write for a living from home. So guess what I do,
I write policies, operations manuals, and twenty million emails a day from
home, that is when I am not on the road to do the same. It occurred to me a
couple of years ago, my dream of becoming a writer was actually fulfilled. Just
not exactly how I imagined it when I was your age, because I really had no
focus on what kind of writer I wanted to be. So whether you want to write
stories, become a journalist, or a blogger, stay focused in that direction; and
never stop being prepared for the opportunity to write.
Number Five. Last but not least, and probably the most important tip I can
give you. Always listen to that still small voice inside you. For it is your
guide to great things. Hang in there kid.
Happy
Belated 16th Birthday to My 16 Year Old Self!!!
