Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

I'm glad I decided to dorm at school, happy with what I majored in, glad I lived in Manhattan for a while and glad I never took up smoking cigarettes.

I am glad for who I married and that I married within my religion despite not always dating within my religion.

Gee, I thought I would not come up with anything and now look at my list!!!!

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Message edited 6/26/2008 9:11:14 AM.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

glad i decided to stay home and go to Stony Brook University..

so glad i had the friends that i had in high school and lost them years later.. they are a major part of who i am today.. even though they are no longer in my life- i can thank them for making me who i am-- and for NOT being them. so happy that i made the decision to let them go.

glad i decided to get over my selfish self destructive behavior and realize that i had someone who i wanted to grow old with.

glad that i decided to get my masters in teaching. BEST decision i ever made (thanks dad) now i can work with children and also have the time to raise my own one day.

i realized that no matter where or no matter what.. my mom and my sisters are my best friends in the world..

and quit smoking -- thanks to my sis who would steal my cigs and rip them in half and thanks to my FH that told me way back when that he would break up with me if i didnt quit and that i was only being selfish and depriving my future children of a full life with their mother.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

I am glad I decided to go back and do another degree; I did what I really wanted to do.

Studying abroad in Germany for a year. Met DH there.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Traveling is one of the best ways to learn. Leave your college boyfriend at home when you do it, eventhough I cried every night. The experience will last me a lifetime and made me much more open minded.

Taking a chance on an unemployed hippy from PA, falling in love marrying him. Now he wears a suit to work everyday


Being a teacher and finishing all of my degrees including an administration cert. before I had children. Now I could just enjoy my baby and still try and advance in my career w/out having to sit through more school.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

taking a chance and going to NY maritime college - definitely not what my peers and family would have expected

graduatinfg early and using my scholarship to pay for my masters while worknig- even thought it suckked royally!!!!!

staying drug free! i never stressed about those random drug tests in college or ever in my career

staring at my future husband from across the bar

traveling

knowing that is was a a right time to leave my old company afgter 6 years of loyalty

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

To wait until my DH figured out we belonged together.

To have a second child

Message edited 6/26/2008 9:10:41 AM.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Taking a job for a start up company that I knew might go out of business. It did go out of business, but lead me to my current job that I'm very happy with.

Not going away to college. Sometimes I think that I missed out on "college life" but when it comes down to it, I probably wouldn't be married to DH if I went away.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

- Ending a long term relationship when other people thought we'd be together for ever

- Listening to the little voice inside me that told me my DH was the one way before I was even thinking about getting serious again

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Leaving my first husband

Moving back to New York

Giving my real phone number to that sweet guy who is now my wonderful DH!

Not going out the night of April 16th, 2003 and instead staying home to watch tv and chat with my dad. He died suddenly the morning of April 17th.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

To pursue artistic-related things even when ballet didn't work out...to became a yoga teacher much sooner. To not go into journalism/editing (which I still do and cannot wait until the day when I can pursue this passion full-time).

Message edited 6/26/2008 10:03:30 AM.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

having my son.

mom wanted me not to have him. one day my cousin called me and asked what i was going to do. i told her that in my gut this felt right. so at 21 i had an unplanned pregnancy that turned into the best thing in my life!!!

never using drugs
not smoking
re-connecting with family when i felt i had been wronged... glad we got passed that


and in recent history... swallowing my pride and ego to smooth-talk dh to handing the financial reigns to me and convincing him not to file for bankruptcy.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Deciding to have DD. Even though her dad did not want to be with me anymore and I was alone when I was pregnant, I am a firm believer in everything happening for a reason and I am so glad it did. It has changed my life, everything for the better. My life was going down the wrong path and she saved me. I cannot wait to give her everything and be the best mother I can be.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

I quit teaching because I didn't like it and went back to college and got another degree.

I am so glad I didn't stay in a job I didn't like just because I had a degree for it. Yes, it was a waste of time and money, but sometimes you need to make a bad choice to find the right one.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

- Forgiving my father for everything that happened before age 24 when he quit drinking. For good.

- Just saying no to drugs.

- Quitting smoking

- Putting my independence aside for a man who said he'd take care of me.

- Daring to believe him. Living with him. Marrying him.

- Standing up to a verbally abusive boss and quitting.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

About 3-4 weeks before moving upstate to go to college (everything had been paid for, enrolled in classes, dorm stuff purchased, etc.) I decided to back out, take a year off and move in with my b/f of 5 months at the time.

Thankfully my parents were super supportive and cool about it and that b/f is now my husband and at the time people questioned it constantly but I think I just knew I wasn't supposed to leave. I truly followed my instincts and didn't look back and it was the best decision of my life.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

*Studied Abroad in College
*Interned at Deloitte
*Didnt get knocked up or Marry my first loser BF

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

i can think of two things:

i got a full ride to law school, but i knew that i didn't want to be an attorney (my family had pushed me to apply to law school). i dropped out in my second semester, went to grad schoool for my masters and got into law enforcement. i LOVE my job now

also, i had the chance to get back together with an ex-boyfriend the year before DH and i started dating.

if we had gotten back together, i never would have even met my DH.

sooooo happy i decided to listen to my gut!!

Message edited 6/26/2008 12:21:12 PM.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Moved to Ireland for a year to do dissertation research - this helped me finally move on from a loser on again/off again boyfriend and my life really came into focus.

Finished my PhD. I can't imagine a better, more fulfilling job for me than being a college professor.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Most recently moving to Atlanta for a guy I am no longer with. I needed the help to get out of NY and it has been a wonderful change for me.

Running a marathon. Never thought I could or would...I amazed myself and now Im training for my second!

Getting my kitty Chloe, she is the love of my life!

Not reconciling with my ex husband when he came back for me...he and the homewrecker deserve eachother...I would be miserable.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Going away to college.

Changing my major in my Junior year of college.

Taking summer classes to make room in my schedule for a senior year internship. (It got me my current job!)

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

Deciding to go to private school for high school.

going abroad in college...best decision ever!

Changing careers and becoming a teacher!

Moving to Manhattan for a couple of years.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

I was engaged once before, (before my DH) and I'm so glad I didn't marry that person. I wanted to be married so bad and I had the opportunity with that guy, but I'm so glad I didn't. I'm glad I waited for the right guy to come along. Because I could have made so many bad decisions. I even had one more boyfriend before DH and I could have stayed to see where that would have gone, but thank god I didn't. It would have been a very big mistake. Now I'm so happy and so in-love with my DH. He is my BF! I wouldn't change anything I have done. No regrets, because they all lead me to where I am now. This is where I want to be in my life - HAPPY!

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

-STAY IN SCHOOL (college that is)

- I do not regret my 7 year relationship w/ my high school sweetheart, but I certainly would tell my younger self to WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE about his cheating on me.

Both of these go hand in hand, as if I had ended the relationship sooner, I would have stayed in school.

Re: Spinoff to "what would you tell your younger self?"

going away to college!

calling that boy from the party, eventhough i really wasn't looking for anyone and didn't want to be tied down.

changing jobs 4 years ago, despite it being a significant drop in salary right before our wedding.

going back to school for nursing


And, i just made a pretty significant decision today (after considering various options for the last month), so i'm hoping that it falls into this category when i look back on this situation in a few years