Check-in with ten-year-old me

I’ll admit it. I talk to myself. Probably more than the average person. I have entire conversations, set goals, and go through major life milestones, all while cleaning the bathroom. One question I ask myself is “would ten-year-old me be okay with who I am today?”

I don’t know how I came upon this question. It’s something I’ve asked myself, a few times a year, for the last decade. Was ten-year-old me a cooler version of me, a better version of me? No way. Ten-year-old me was slightly shy and full of herself at the same time, loved tie-dye, still rocked a natural hair color, loved to read about strong women in history, and felt incredibly well within her rights to tell you exactly what she was thinking. (Now that I read that out loud, maybe she was much cooler than I am). She’s in the featured photo on the left, clearly not cool at all, but believing 100 percent that once this fishing rodeo was over, she literally had bigger fish to fry.

What that version of myself had that I don’t have now is a life without limits. At ten-years-old, you don’t fully realize barriers to your dreams. You just, dream. Limitless, without the weight of the world telling you why your dreams won’t work. Ten-year-old me had attitude. She lacked a filter. She wanted to change the world and fully, with every part of her, believed she could. She imagined herself being a champion for change. At one point, ten-year-old me told my dad that she wanted to be the youngest Mayor of Waynesboro, Pennsylvania.  

Then life hits. Dreams change. Reality sets in. In no way, ever, do I want to be the mayor of anything. But ten-year-old me had high standards and now, approaching middle-age me, I need to make sure I live up to them. Because at the end of the day, the only person you need to live up to is yourself. Whatever version of you that is. 

So. Would ten-year-old you be happy with who you are today?