What Advice Would You Give Yourself?

As readers of this blog already know, I’m a big fan of Seth Godin.  One of his more recent projects is Thirty Days of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self Reliance.   He’s had 30 authors take a quote from Emerson’s great work Self-Reliance, and they’ve created a writing challenge based on that quote.

Today’s challenge is from Corbett Barr, and is as follows:

There will be an agreement in whatever variety of actions, so they be each honest and natural in their hour. Ralph Waldo Emerson

What would you say to the person you were five years ago? What will you say to the person you’ll be in five years?

I encourage you to think of your answers.  Mine are below.

Five Years ago Jude – I know it’s only been 9 months since Katrina and 8 months since your wedding, but know that you’re doing the right thing by sticking with New Orleans.  It’s undergoing some foundational change that is for the better.  There’s also the beginnings of an incredible entrepreneurial community that you’ll have a chance to be a part of.  Save more money now that you’re both earning well.  It will come in handy when you have a child down the road.  Enjoy this time and find a way to squeeze all of the travel and experiences that you can before you have your child.

Five Years from now Jude – Enjoy how great things are, because it was through some difficulty and sacrifice right now that we got there.  Money is tight.  We’re pretty sure it will be worth it in the long run, but it’s hard to see the future sometimes through the struggle.  We’re investing in our family, with me staying at home to take care of our daughter.  We believe in you and think that you’ve got something special to bring to the world.  Keep working hard to make sure this time of struggle wasn’t for nothing.

What would you say to your past and future self?