The world is your oyster
Dear Twelve-Year-Old Me,
Thinking about your dreams is absolutely terrifying, especially when you’re not exactly sure what they are. The common question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” makes you freeze and feel ashamed because you don’t yet have an answer.
I want you to know that it’s 100% OK to not yet know what you want to be when you grow up. It’s a horrible question, but that doesn’t mean that people will stop asking. Answering “I don’t know” is difficult when you think everyone else has their entire lives planned out, but know this: no one can predict the future. Not you, and not the people who say they know what they want to be when they’re older. Of course, knowing this doesn’t make it any less frustrating – although try to remember that not everyone’s dreams are based on what they want to do when they grow up – you can start living your dreams now.
You want to continue traveling the world meeting interesting people and experiencing the best of the best. You want to GROW and BE and DO amazing things. Friendship is important to you, really important, more than most people you know, so use it to your advantage – make connections, form new friendships and, of course, work hard to keep the amazing friends you have now.
You don’t want to have a career in which you are bored, angry and overall not happy. Therefore, don’t settle for anything less. I know you’ll have a career that you love, but as with anything, you should expect that there might be some hard times. Also – it’s OK to change your mind – you don’t have to limit yourself to just one career!
Stay with the music, I’ve met so many adults who give it up and regret it later, so please, please, stick with it, even when you don’t feel like practicing your cello or going to choir practice.
People will shoot you down, no doubt, but come on, do their opinions seriously matter? Are they speaking from a place of love or a place of fear? Hard to say. It’s tough not to feel down when others doubt you, but you can do it. Don’t be so negative.
Recently, you’ve been having problems feeling motivated. It’s really hard, but don’t give up on the things you love in order to do the things others tell you should do. There’s no reason why you can do it all. You’re strong, really stubborn, occasionally annoying, always awesome and funny, and you should put all these parts of your personality into everything you do. Bottom line: don’t limit yourself. As your Mom says all the time: “The world is your oyster.”
Love,
Your Clone
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My name’s Anevay, but you can call me Ana or Vey. Your choice. I’ve lived in New York City for most of my life, a place known for its tall buildings, good food and global business. But I know the city only as home, the place where all of my friends live, where I learn, and where I grow. I’m not sure what I want to do yet as a career, but I have many passions — cello, drawing and art, 80’s music and writing. I’m writing a mystery novel right now called Chase is On. It’s hard to write, but also a lot of fun! I’m REALLY interested in activism and women’s rights. I think that men are not superior, but equal to women.
I’m homeschooled, which means I’m not educated in a traditional school but at home and in classes all over the city, which are taught by many different professors and teachers. I’m an only child who is sometimes really lonely, but luckily I have many friends who call me a sister.
I’m a daydreamer and fantasize a lot about the future. I make scenarios in my head of things that might possibly happen. I also fantasize about things that are completely unrealistic. It’s really fun and many of my story ideas come from daydreaming.
