I met my younger self for coffee today.
He was late because he needed to drop our kindergartener off at school, and of course I understood.
He laughed at the fact that I wear glasses with transition lenses now, and I laughed that he believed that wearing a navy blue suit and tie was “fashion forward”.
I was taken aback by how tired he looked, so I asked him how he was doing (even though I knew the answer).
He told me that he was fine, despite his body language not aligning with his words.
He perked up when he shared that he was just promoted to a Director position at his job. I gave him a congratulatory fist bump, because I knew that job was something that he wanted for a very long time.
When he asked me what I was doing these days, I told him that I quit the Director job seven years ago to start my own business as a professional speaker.
He almost spit out his drink.
Incredulously, he asked me why would I leave a well-paying leadership role at a prestigious institution (especially with a new mortgage and two young daughters at home) to chase after a dream with no guarantees of success.
I gave him three reasons.
1. I told him I was concerned about how our health (physical, mental and emotional) was rapidly declining while at that job.
2. I told him that we would never forgive ourselves if we didn’t bet on our ability as a speaker, and on our shared dream of making the world a kinder place.
3. Most importantly, I told him that we’ll deeply regret missing out on any more special moments with our girls because of the demands of that job.
I then pulled up a recent vacation picture on my phone of me and our girls (who are well on their way to becoming young women), and slid it across the table.
He picked up my phone, looked at the picture in silence for a few moments, and then started to cry.
He wiped away his tears while still looking at the picture of our daughters, and asked if I was happy.
I said that I was.
He then asked for a piece of advice that could help him in the future.
I desperately wanted to warn him of the struggle he’ll experience in the next few years. But because I love him, I was unwilling to protect him from the intense pain (and more importantly, the lessons) that will shape our life.
Instead, I told him to prioritize our health, our family and our dream.
Most of all, I told him not to let any of the small-minded thinkers he’ll encounter along the way (and there will be many) convince him that he’s incapable of making his dream a reality.
He nodded with tears still in his eyes and said thank you.
He then looked back down at the picture on my phone with a smile and asked, “so…do selfie sticks actually become cool in the future?”
I told him that selfie sticks are actually way more cringe now than they were back in his day. But, as we both know, doing cringey stuff has never stopped us before.
He laughed. So did I. Some things never change ❤️.