5 Life Lessons I’d Teach My Younger Self

Now that I'm a mom, I've been thinking a lot about what I'd tell my younger self if I could go back in time. There are so many experiences I've been through that I'm seeing differently now--especially in raising a little girl who I'm hoping will grow up to become a #girllboss who truly knows her worth.

I don't ever want Naiya to be under the impression that there is a glass ceiling keeping her away from reaching any of the goals she sets out to accomplish. While glass ceilings still seem to exist in so many industries, my fingers are crossed that Naiya's generation will help set out to change that. 

I'm excited to be able to teach Naiya how to love, dream and create through tapping into my previous mistakes, learning experiences and successes. With that said, along with today's outfit post, I'm sharing 5 life lessons I'd tell my younger self (as well as life lessons I can't wait to share with our daughter someday).

1) There Is Only One You

There are 7.4-billion people in the world and counting. Likewise, it's easy to feel like a drop in the ocean--especially in a world where we are constantly measuring ourselves up to one another on social media.That said, it's so important to really take a step back and think about the fact that each of us is a miracle here on earth.

Did you know that the odds of simply being born are 1 in over 400-trillion?!

In order for you to be here, all of your ancestors had to reproduce successfully, the right sperm had to meet the right egg on the perfect day, your parents had to meet at the right place at the right time...the list goes on!Whenever we feel inadequate, we always need to remember that there is only one 'you'on this planet.  No matter how bad your day may be, carpe diem and show the world the miracle that you are (even if that's sometimes by Netflixing and chilling! Netflix is also a miracle).

2) It's Okay To Color Outside The Lines

I was always a rule-follower growing up--probably to a fault.

I always listened to authority figures--my parents, teachers, etc. I put them on a pedestal and believed that they were always right.

While I remember feeling extremely creative starting at a very young age, I never jumped off the beaten bath because I was too scared.

I wish someone had told me that while it is important to follow the rules most of the time, it's okay to live a little--or a lot.It's more than okay to color outside of the lines, to lead with your creativity and to forge your own path (even if no one else you know is doing it).If I had learned this earlier on, I really do think I would have saved myself an enormous amount of self-doubt and anxiety!

3) Don't Put Your Own Self-Worth In What Others Think Of You

In order to live a healthy, inspired, successful life, I'd tell my younger self to stop caring so much about what other people think of me.

Growing up, I'd often define a bad day by the way in which other people viewed me. How did I do on a paper in school?  In my 20's,

how did my boss think I did on a project I turned in? Was it well-received?

That was a good day.

That said, if I flunked a test or if my boss didn't like my work, those were the worst days EVER.As an adult, I've been switching the above outlook around to the best of my ability.

Do I think I did my best? Did I give it my all and was I proud of myself? Do I trust the person's opinion who is saying my work wasn't good enough? 

At the end of the day, I'd tell my younger self that you are your own biggest cheerleader and critic. It's up to you to root for yourself and to celebrate your wins because not a lot of people around you genuinely will.

I'd also tell my younger self that it's okay to know your worth and to be confident while staying humble. I never thought that being confident and humble could go together but I was wrong. This shift in perspective helped me big time.

4) Always Trust Your Gut

We're all born with intuition but not all of us tap into it as much as we should.Looking back on my life so far, I've realized that my intuition about people, experiences and places has often always been spot-on.Likewise, I'd tell my younger self to always pay attention to my gut instincts.

While it’s always important to give people, jobs, relationships, etc. the benefit of the doubt, always take note of your initial thoughts too.

If you’re anything like me, you may realize that 9 times out of 10, they’re telling you something for a reason.

5) Failing Is Winning

Hindsight really is 20/20. I've gotten older, I've enjoyed looking back at the biggest upsets and failures I've had in my life because many of them have actually turned out to be amazing starts to something new and exciting.That said, the problem with failure is, of course, that it doesn't come with a crystal ball. 

If only we had the ability to see our future wins. Instead, when we fail, we often feel awful and  despondent.I'd tell my younger self to stop worrying so much about failure because it's such a healthy part of life.

Remember, you can never fully enjoy the win if you never fail and have nothing to compare it too.I'd also tell my younger self that if I'm not failing at all, I'm not trying hard enough to get out of my comfort zone. 

A life without failure is oftentimes too safe, too comfortable and you're simply not challenging yourself enough to hit all of your greatest wins.

Outfit Of The Day

Today, I'm wearing a green pleated maxi I'm loving for summer.  It's so comfy and flowy and I've been dressing it up with espadrilles. I'm especially loving that it's a halter top with a low back.

Naiya is wearing the most adorable floral onesie we scooped up from PatPat (they have the cutest instagram here).If you haven't checked out their online store yet for children's clothing, head over there now! If you’re a new customer, use the code dgDJ28 at checkout for 25% off!

Return customers can earn 12% off on their next order using the code ARIELLE12 at checkout.The outfits are adorable and super-affordable. We're loving the cute ruffled sleeves on Naiya's outfit today and we scooped up a bunch of similar looks too (which I've linked to below).

Photography: Azusa Takano