A Letter To My Younger Self - International Women's Day 2020
Disclaimer: This letter is written for every woman, young or old. For the men that may come across this, please share this with your female friends, daughters, sisters, mothers...anyone you think this may inspire and uplift.
Dear Onyinye,
If you knew how far you would come in such a short space of time you would not worry as much as you do. Life is for living! It is natural to worry about the future but it is not natural or normal to allow these worries to consume you. Like most teenagers you worry about things that simply cannot be controlled...from the weather to the outcome of the next exam. You must try your hardest to be more present and live for the now.
Life is all about taking risks. Step outside of your comfort zone, try new things and thrive. Of course routine is always good, it gives you a sense of discipline and structure however, it is important to be open to change, sometimes that change will be sudden and you'll have to adapt. I know that you find risk a very challenging concept (which is ironic because your corporate career will end being in risk advisory) but as long as there is some degree of calculation you will be fine. Be more trusting of yourself and your incredible ability to fight every and any challenge.
Most of your challenges are centred around your studies. It is good that you are a conscious student but your grades do not define you. Once you graduate you will find that almost no one will ask you the classification of your degree. Eventually you will forget your GCSE grades and will have to dig them out every time you fill in an application. The greatest thing you will take away from your IB studies is your ever wondering and curious mind. Your actual IB grades will be somewhat irrelevant. Good grades make it easier to open certain doors but you will find that where there is a will, there is a way. If your grades don't meet the requirements for a certain opportunity, you will find another way to access it because you are innovative.
And on that point of innovation, I think it is fitting to mention that your little tutoring project will grow into a fully fledged business. Something that you started in the living room of your home will develop into an education hub which reaches thousands of people and helps them to optimise their experience in education. Consistency will propel you to success. When the going gets tough you must push through.
Finally, do not forget to take a moment to process your experiences. You like to keep yourself busy and enjoy doing multiple things at once but you must not neglect your emotional health. Bottling things up until your explode is not a healthy or sustainable way of dealing with your feelings. Create an inner circle where you can be supportive of each other. Community is very important.
Last tip - before you leave the house, look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself how fabulous you are...don't forget to believe it too!
With love,
An older, wiser, more seasoned Onyinye