I have to give huge credit to a human design podcast episode for providing the inspiration for this post. The theme of the episode was looking at intentions for the year ahead - 2022 - and there were a great list of prompts that guided the listener to think about what this year could be. And then at the very end, the two ladies speaking mentioned how powerful it is to think about your 150-old version of yourself, and what that version of you would say about the situation, the season of life that you're in, etc.
It's so interesting how taking that perspective of someone who is you - but not really you - can actually allow you to channel some powerful wisdom. It's this exercise of stepping back from the day-to-day grind, seeing the bigger picture and timeline of life, and checking in with yourself to see if your emotional state is really in line the grande scheme of things. This post was originally written to share with just a close friend, but when I stumbled across it the other day in a stack of papers, not only did it bring tears to my eyes, but I felt compelled to share it with others in the hopes that maybe just one person would take something good away from it, or even be inspired to write their own letter!
Originally written: January 16th, 2022
Published: September 9th, 2022
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Dear Emily,
2022 was a big year of energetic shifts for you. It was the first time that you started consistently setting healthy boundaries for yourself that protected your energy, your health, and your happiness. You stopped settling. You became fearless, courageous, outspoken, but continued to be incredibly humble in everything you undertook. You recognized that everything you could imagine was possible, and that it was just a matter of time before it made its way to you. You learned how to share this abundance with others, to iterate quickly and to think about Mezclada as a giant experiment, really as god acting through you, and that you were simply the soul that had been selected to bring this particular message, service, and legacy to the planet. You learned to balance your humanity with the divine, carefully curating a community of friendships and professional networks that reflected your highest expression of self. You set higher standards for your physical appearance, became friends with those who are experts in their own right when it comes to fashion, skincare, and diet. Filling your body with nutritious, life-giving foods became effortless because it became your new standard.
Every change was for the better. Sometimes you didn’t see it that way. You held on to some things longer than you should have, but you quickly learned that everything was already set. It had its own path and you were just here to get on the wagon. As soon as you stopped resisting, and fully released into being yourself, the magnetism you created with your spirit became unstoppable. You started meeting folks who worked to create your success. They became close colleagues and friends, advisors. They embodied everything that you were working to achieve - authenticity, joy, light. They became your expanders.
2022 was the year that you stopped doubting your dreams and instead starting doubting your fears. Alonso pushed you out of your comfort zone to the point that challenging yourself in new ways became the new normal. Others who sought adventure were naturally drawn into your social circle. You never had a lack of people who you could call to go dancing. You worked to heal your relationships with your family members, not shying away from the difficult conversations you’d been putting off for years with your parents, and finally making the commitment to meet your extended family in New York, California, and Mexico.
The wholeness and simplicity that you created for yourself while in Costa Rica became your new foundation for success. They became the feelings you would always come back to as a litmus test for whether to say yes or no to opportunities that came your way. You stopped doubting the value that you bring to the table, and you started speaking up for yourself, even though your happiness triggered other people. You recognized that your path is your own, that it didn’t make sense to try copying the lifestyles or pathways of others, and that instead, the beauty you were set on creating was just that – YOUR creation, and no one else's.
As the 150-year-old version of you, here’s a few things that I want you to keep in mind as this year unfolds:
You have all the time in the world to create this beautiful, fulfilling life that you imagine. Never forget that, and take this knowing of time into account as you make plans. Carve out slowness and simplicity in everything you do.
Everything you need is already here. Most of the things that you desire aren’t far away at all. What you seek is seeking you. Set ambitious goals knowing that your imagination is the only thing that’s limiting what you achieve.
The universe is filled with magic, miracles, serendipity, and play. Focus more on these things and you’ll experience more of it.
Give yourself permission to want more. It’s okay to be dissatisfied or disappointed with the way things are. But listen. Cultivate practices that will allow you to get out of your head more often and into your body so that you can respond to challenges intuitively.
Trust yourself to make the right decisions. Forgive yourself as you make mistakes. Forgive everyone around you. And continue to focus on gratitude for everything that you see, everything that fills your days, and for the amazing things on the horizon that you don’t even see coming.
You’re opening a portal into a new life and a new way of being - a new reality. The universe has your back, so don’t be afraid to jump in head first!!
Sincerely,
Your 150-year old self
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What stands out for me from this letter is this moment when I find myself with huge transitions in life - leaving a long-term relationship, leaving a stable job for something far more unstable and uncertain, giving myself a pep talk every day that the prices of my services are not associated with my self-worth - is the grounded-ness that I find in my own voice. The sureness of it is kind of eerie, to be honest. Because sometimes I think that this is what other people see in me - the version that I have such a hard time seeing in myself - the confident, knowing Emily.
My heart goes out to anyone that's in a similar situation - when you feel like everything is in so much upheaval that you question whether or not you are making the right decisions, you're fearful of making commitments because you don't know where it will go, and you feel torn about what path it will take you down. If you're reading this and you feel the same way, please know that you're not alone. There's a ton of us that feel the same way, even if on the outside it appears as though all is hunky-dory.
Anyways, I'll leave you with the challenge to do the same - to write a letter to yourself from the perspective of your 150-year old self. Advice and words of wisdom for the year ahead, or maybe just for the next month, whatever resonates with you the moment you put pen to paper.
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