Our 16-year-old selves went through a lot—puberty, peer pressure, puppy love, and ugh, HIGH SCHOOL—and they probably wouldn’t even have imagined Present Us overcoming the challenges of adolescence and growing up to be stronger (and wiser) than we once thought we were.
But even though we’re all glad that phase in our lives was over, don’t we sometimes wish we could go back in time to give our younger selves a tight hug, and to assure them that better days are yet to come?
Like, think about this: wouldn’t if be amazing if we were given the chance to give Past Us a piece of advice? I for one would already know what to tell Younger Me. I’d tell her to start listening to older people, cause no, she didn’t have a single idea of what she was getting herself into, so could she please, for once, just listen. I’d also tell her to stop wearing those tacky sequinned headbands to school (and I’l tell her to TRUST ME ON THIS, and that she’ll thank me years later when Time Hop becomes a thing).
I figured out this would make for an interesting article, so I began asking my friends, “If you had 5 minutes to talk to your 16-year-old self, what would you tell him/her?”.
Their answers were deeply moving and were full of wisdom, too. Here are some of the best ones:
Naturally, some people gave witty answers.
“Bet a bunch of money on Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 world series.” —Rajiv Menghrajani to his 16-year-old-self
“Gaganda ka pa beks, ‘wag kang mag-alala.” — Jara Rogacion to her 16-year-old-self
“Matulog ka na habang may panahon pa.” — Gabe Fortuna to her 16-year-old-self
But then it started getting serious.
“You’re smarter than what your grades suggest.”— Daryl Lim 16-year-old-self
“Keep those friends.” — Audrey Orallo to her 16-year-old self
“You don’t have to rush anything. Perfect flowers take time to bloom.” — Michelle Ali to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t date that guy.” — Mika Santos to her 16-year-old self
“Men are not from Mars. Gago lang talaga sila. Guard your heart.” — Anj Rodriguez to her 16-year-old self
“When you’re a little older, someone’s going to show you that love isn’t what you think it is now. Be patient.” — Loren Seneres to her 16-year-old self
Really. Serious.
“You are going to mess up big time. Be careful or be ready.” — Priscilla Umengan to her 16-year-old self
“Be kind. Don’t subscribe to the whole faux cruel thing to be cool.”— Venus Corp to her 16-year-old self
“Take the risks and write about them.”— Kim Clarete to her 16-year-old self
“Your dreams may change but don’t stop pursuing them.”— Aliana Almazan to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t let the fear of getting hurt stop you from loving. Imagine all the good things that could and would happen if you love.” — Nikkole Lulu to his 16-year-old self
“Huwag ka ma-attach. You’ll regret it.”— Axl Ofrecio to his 16-year-old self
“Don’t ever let a boy force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” — DRMN to her 16-year-old self
“Call your family more often. They won’t always admit how much they miss you.”— Kyle Sagulili to her 16-year-old self
“Ituloy mo passion mo. Alam mo naman kung ano yon.” — Alyssa Lorenzo to her 16-year-old self
*CRIES*
“Don’t let yourself sit in the dark just because it’s familiar. Let the light in.”— Jacob De Vega to his 16-year-old self
“Not all people have a heart as good as yours. But, even if that’s the case, never lose hope for them. Love them even though they don’t know how to.” — Jam Jacinto to her 16-year-old self
“The universe owes you nothing nor does it even care about you. You don’t get what you deserve but what you are willing to work for. And like what our beloved Gaiman said, ‘You get what everyone else gets— a lifetime.” — Jean Padilla to her 16-year-old self
“Sometimes it’s best to let go of things and people if they’re not helping you grow.”— Magnolia Del Rosario to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s not the victories that count, but the lessons learned.” — Nikki Despi to her 16-year-old self
“Kung panghinaan ka ng loob, tandaan mong puwede kang sumulat ng bagong bukas.” — Leonard Javier to his 16-year-old self
What would you tell your sixteen-year-old self? Share your thoughts with us!
Perpetually clumsy, Hershey is but a girl in search of truth, purpose, and her Why in life. People call her an extrovert. A people-person. Sorority girl. Workaholic. Always down for fun. Laughs at almost anything. Kinda gets too noisy at times. Yougettheidea. But deep inside, all this self-confessed fashion girl really enjoys are taking long walks, sipping green tea, and reading self-help books and shampoo labels. A copywriter by profession, and a storyteller at heart, she dreams of one day going around the world to teach children how to read. She likes going places, but since she's still saving up for her own car, she makes do with bus rides. Window seat—with a book on her lap. She word vomits over at www.heyhershey.blogspot.com. (Instagram @heyhershey, Twitter @heyhersheyy)
If You Had 5 Minutes To Talk To Your 16-Year-Old Self, What Would You Say?
Our 16-year-old selves went through a lot—puberty, peer pressure, puppy love, and ugh, HIGH SCHOOL—and they probably wouldn’t even have imagined Present Us overcoming the challenges of adolescence and growing up to be stronger (and wiser) than we once thought we were.
But even though we’re all glad that phase in our lives was over, don’t we sometimes wish we could go back in time to give our younger selves a tight hug, and to assure them that better days are yet to come?
Like, think about this: wouldn’t if be amazing if we were given the chance to give Past Us a piece of advice? I for one would already know what to tell Younger Me. I’d tell her to start listening to older people, cause no, she didn’t have a single idea of what she was getting herself into, so could she please, for once, just listen. I’d also tell her to stop wearing those tacky sequinned headbands to school (and I’l tell her to TRUST ME ON THIS, and that she’ll thank me years later when Time Hop becomes a thing).
I figured out this would make for an interesting article, so I began asking my friends, “If you had 5 minutes to talk to your 16-year-old self, what would you tell him/her?”.
Their answers were deeply moving and were full of wisdom, too. Here are some of the best ones:
Naturally, some people gave witty answers.
“Bet a bunch of money on Chicago Cubs winning the 2016 world series.” —Rajiv Menghrajani to his 16-year-old-self
“Gaganda ka pa beks, ‘wag kang mag-alala.” — Jara Rogacion to her 16-year-old-self
“Matulog ka na habang may panahon pa.” — Gabe Fortuna to her 16-year-old-self
But then it started getting serious.
“You’re smarter than what your grades suggest.”— Daryl Lim 16-year-old-self
“Keep those friends.” — Audrey Orallo to her 16-year-old self
“You don’t have to rush anything. Perfect flowers take time to bloom.” — Michelle Ali to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t date that guy.” — Mika Santos to her 16-year-old self
“Men are not from Mars. Gago lang talaga sila. Guard your heart.” — Anj Rodriguez to her 16-year-old self
“When you’re a little older, someone’s going to show you that love isn’t what you think it is now. Be patient.” — Loren Seneres to her 16-year-old self
Really. Serious.
“You are going to mess up big time. Be careful or be ready.” — Priscilla Umengan to her 16-year-old self
“Be kind. Don’t subscribe to the whole faux cruel thing to be cool.”— Venus Corp to her 16-year-old self
“Take the risks and write about them.”— Kim Clarete to her 16-year-old self
“Your dreams may change but don’t stop pursuing them.”— Aliana Almazan to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t let the fear of getting hurt stop you from loving. Imagine all the good things that could and would happen if you love.” — Nikkole Lulu to his 16-year-old self
“Huwag ka ma-attach. You’ll regret it.”— Axl Ofrecio to his 16-year-old self
“Don’t ever let a boy force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” — DRMN to her 16-year-old self
“Call your family more often. They won’t always admit how much they miss you.”— Kyle Sagulili to her 16-year-old self
“Ituloy mo passion mo. Alam mo naman kung ano yon.” — Alyssa Lorenzo to her 16-year-old self
*CRIES*
“Don’t let yourself sit in the dark just because it’s familiar. Let the light in.”— Jacob De Vega to his 16-year-old self
“Not all people have a heart as good as yours. But, even if that’s the case, never lose hope for them. Love them even though they don’t know how to.” — Jam Jacinto to her 16-year-old self
“The universe owes you nothing nor does it even care about you. You don’t get what you deserve but what you are willing to work for. And like what our beloved Gaiman said, ‘You get what everyone else gets— a lifetime.” — Jean Padilla to her 16-year-old self
“Sometimes it’s best to let go of things and people if they’re not helping you grow.”— Magnolia Del Rosario to her 16-year-old self
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. It’s not the victories that count, but the lessons learned.” — Nikki Despi to her 16-year-old self
“Kung panghinaan ka ng loob, tandaan mong puwede kang sumulat ng bagong bukas.” — Leonard Javier to his 16-year-old self
What would you tell your sixteen-year-old self? Share your thoughts with us!
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About The Author
Perpetually clumsy, Hershey is but a girl in search of truth, purpose, and her Why in life. People call her an extrovert. A people-person. Sorority girl. Workaholic. Always down for fun. Laughs at almost anything. Kinda gets too noisy at times. Yougettheidea. But deep inside, all this self-confessed fashion girl really enjoys are taking long walks, sipping green tea, and reading self-help books and shampoo labels. A copywriter by profession, and a storyteller at heart, she dreams of one day going around the world to teach children how to read. She likes going places, but since she's still saving up for her own car, she makes do with bus rides. Window seat—with a book on her lap. She word vomits over at www.heyhershey.blogspot.com. (Instagram @heyhershey, Twitter @heyhersheyy)