A Letter to Myself: a Message to The Future

Dear self,

Hey you, I know we are in this together. Remember the promises we made? For better and for worse. In sickness and in health till death do we part? I hope those promises were true and you will not fuck me up at any time. Am loyal. I just noticed I need to share some few things with you in attempt to make you feel loved and inspired. So listen up, I have important things to tell you.

Do not let people take you down or affect how you feel about yourself. Do not take things too personal. Learn to let go. Forgive people even though they’ve hurt you so badly, try and understand their side of story. Learn from their mistakes and let that remain in the past. Accept what makes you different and embrace what makes you unique.

I know you like maintaining a low profile, but listen up, dress up every day. Your dressing speaks a million about who you are and how you feel about yourself. Find clothes that fit you perfectly and make you look gorgeous. Experiment different styles and personalize your style. You don’t need to apply ton of makeup if you don’t feel like it. Just ensure you look presentable.

Build connections with people. I know you have been told before that good grades are assurance of a great life. Well, it’s true if you are pursuing a medical course or law. But really, as a business lady and aspiring entrepreneur, do not let university GPA determine your success. What matters the most is the desire to learn from people and environment every day and building connections. Some great lessons cannot be taught in school you just have to learn them from people.

Create a portfolio. Add to it everything that you learn. Any new thing that you make or want to improve. It doesn’t matter what career you end up in, just make sure you have a portfolio. Keep adding to it.

Create a life that you will be proud of. Make great use of your time, resources and those around you. Keep your hopes and dreams high and don’t let anyone affect them. Do not rely on others for your happiness.

Be kind to others. Treat people with utmost respect. Help others. Treasure your family and your close friends. Be selfless. Be genuine with your feelings. Love like you’ve never seen pain.

Be more beautiful each day and leave them guessing how you do it. We still have a lifetime together. I love you.

Yours sincerely

Me.

A Letter To My Younger Self

My name is Cherissa Moore, and I am a 29-year-old Foundation Level student. This essay will utilise the Price and Maier 3R’s (2007) Reflective Model and will be formatted as “A letter to my younger self”. It is encouragement to the adolescent I once was; to embrace who I am, persevere and never give up.

From a young age we are taught our culture and social norms, what we should wear, how we should look, what is expected of us, how to act, etc. Due to this it is not always easy growing up in a modern industrial society. You were born on the island of Barbados, to middle- class parents from two different cultural upbringings. Raised as a Christian; your morals and values differed from some of your peers. Whilst growing up, like most girls, you began to discover yourself and noticed the differences between your shape and that of others within your age group.

Owing to this and the image society portrays as perfect, you developed a negative body cathexis. You felt fat, ugly, worthless and unworthy. You even researched cosmetic and plastic surgery and dreamed of ways in which to afford them; an attempt to have the perfect body. You were bullied because of your weight and your self- esteem decreased. Encouraged by your mum to believe in yourself, you excelled academically.

By the age of fifteen, you had a negative view of your body and a healthy image of who and where you wanted to be in life. Your self-concept and goals were concrete. You developed a map for your life and did well in the years to follow. You envisioned a life of an academic, a large family home, married by 25 (with a back up plan to marry one of your best friends by age 30 if you were both still single), have three children and a well-paying job; enabling you to provide for your family as well as around the clock nurses for your parents when they reached the age where they were no longer capable of taking care of themselves.

Always the one to make a list, you have been checking off your accomplishments as life happened. By the time you are aged 23 you would have completed most of your list. The gap between you real and ideal selves are minimal. Gladly; you are not one to be easily influenced by the trends in society; therefore; you will be able to save to complete the unchecked boxes on the bucket list.

In closing, I want to tell you to love yourself, it will save you a lot of heart ache and pain. Your journey to self-love will not be easy and at times you will want to give up; don’t. Regardless of what others may say or think, you are unique and can only ever be you. Embrace yourself and continue your current path. One day you will discover that it was not for nought. I would not make any changes to the life we have lived, as I do not believe in making mistakes. We simply learnt unexpected things along the way.

Works Cited:

1. Carter, A. (2019, November 5). 52% of Americans say men don't treat women equally in the workplace, CNBC poll finds. CNBC.
2. Catalyst. (2019). Quick take: Women in male-dominated industries and occupations.
3. Economic Policy Institute. (2021). Racial and ethnic wage gaps.
4. Forbes. (2018, November 14). Why is it so hard for women to prove themselves at work? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2018/11/14/why-is-it-so-hard-for-women-to-prove-themselves-at-work/?sh=2f702d7e2e9d
5. Forbes. (2018, September 20). The gender pay gap stretches to minimum wage workers too. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/samanthaharrington/2018/09/20/the-gender-pay-gap-stretches-to-minimum-wage-workers-too/?sh=3e6d3c6e23dc
6. Lahle Wolfe. (2021, October 28). Equal pay for women - history and timeline. The Balance Small Business.
7. Matusik, J. G. (2021, September 14). Why women still face challenges even when employers try to be family-friendly. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/09/why-women-still-face-challenges-even-when-employers-try-to-be-family-friendly
8. National Partnership for Women & Families. (2018). The Pregnancy Discrimination Act at 40: A guide for advocates.
9. National Women's Law Center. (2018). Gender inequality and women in the workplace.
10. Staff, Forbes. (2019, June 12). 25% of women report discrimination or unfair treatment at work. Employee Benefits News.