Dear Younger Me....

As a therapist and life coach, I work with people struggling with inner child issues. It's incredible to me how the mind works. Most adults truly function by working and being in relationships. But just like all grief, inner child issues tend to hit you unexpectedly and ironically when you're doing the work to improve yourself. Life is pretty crazy.

In my field, I'm continually examining my own why, meaning the purpose and passion for what I do. In other words, what's keeping me going and enthused about this line of work? Truly, I continue to express gratitude for being chosen to walk along my clients' growth journey. Life is never coincidental and I feel I've been placed with specific individuals on purpose.

In June, I and two others met to discuss this issue. In an effort to extract their "why" while we did goal-setting work, I was simultaneously revisiting my own in a way I had never experienced. As a person of faith, I believe messages revisiting come to you from a higher source when you're ready and resourced to bring them forward.

I received the "download" or "message" that night so quickly that it was hard to get it all out to make sense of it. My vision was to build a teen and young adult program, merging the materials I use within my coaching world with the skills I use in my adjunct world. To create something that isn't just impactful but also has the purpose of seeding empowerment to combat a self-defeating mindset. The ultimate goal is to build awareness and self-esteem levels so that it may prohibit some of the common mistakes made had they stayed on the mental or emotional track.

When I shared this experience with someone, she said it reminded her of a faith-based song she'd heard before (here's the link - it's a great listen but get tissues: Mercyme - Dear Younger Me).

An African proverb states, "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." So, this week, a diverse panel of strong women and teens will brainstorm and collectively bring such a vision to fruition. Everyone involved will serve as an olive branch of service to me as a life coach for clients who will benefit from such a program.

If you could write a letter to your younger self, what would you write that could have helped you and benefitted you? Have you been through a hard time? Remember, it takes a village to raise a child.

So, here's my call to action: If you are a young adult struggling and feel you could benefit from the support of a life coach to help ease the challenges of transition, please reach out for a free consultation.

Be well,

Cristina