Letter to my 23 year-old self

By Persistance Muunga 

First of all, I want to give you a tap on your shoulder for finishing another year. Looking back, those 365 days were never easy but you made it. It tested your strength, your loyalty, your patience and most importantly your faith. You have built unexpected friendships and broke off toxic ones. You have learnt to love and to be hurt at the same time. You were at your highest and at your lowest point. 

To be honest, 22 was loaded emotionally and mentally. There were times you let yourself down and there were times you exceeded your own expectations. You experimented with work, school, love, friendship and life itself. You discovered new things and you revisited ways of thinking about old things.

22 showed you that love isn’t easy and its more about yourself than it will ever be about the subject of your affection. It was about love being complicated, it demanded strength, solidarity and maturity. It was beyond two people who were fond of each other, it expanded to include distance, growth, tests, breakdowns and lessons.

22 showed you that work isn’t just about showing up, proving yourself and standing your ground. Work taught you underlying politics, manipulations, rewards, self-motivation and purpose. You slowly became a diplomat and a person who can reason in any given situation. You learnt to think before you speak and to build your argument wisely before you speak. Work solidified your stamina.

 22 showed you that some friendships were only circumstance based connections and they are not deeper than you want them to be. 22 basically defied logic, time, space and emotions. 22 was about everything around you, so please promise me to make 23 simply about you. 23 should be the year you find yourself the same way you did when you were 18. 

23 should be the perfect time to think about what comes first and to implement the plans you wish to build on in the future. 23 is for keeping love alive, to keep watering the friendships and reap new one. 23 is about having strength to let things go and welcome new things in. It’s about realising when certain chapters should end and new ones should begin.

Self, I pray that you continue thriving for what you desire. I pray that you continue to be a blessing to other people. Be kind to those who deserve kindness, much more to those who don’t. Even if it’s hard, try. 23-year old self, learn to love someone, but please not by sacrificing your love for yourself.  

You lived your 22 in a messy book with random chapters and inconsistent pages, so your 23 should be the book you’ve always wanted to read. Write that book, do that master’s degree, work on that relationship and always maintain your rapport with God.  You owe it yourself to build your own life. Remember the promises you make to yourself, you owe yourself that level of commitment.

I hope the next 365 days will be filled with lessons that will mould you into a better version of yourself.

Love, Self

XOXO