Inspired by the lovely Sammy and the 'tweetyour16yearoldself' hashtag on Twitter...
Dear 16 year old me,
You are not fat. Far from it. I know you won't believe me but you're thinner now than you'll be for another 13 years. Enjoy it. Have more confidence in yourself and dress the way you want to dress. You can totally get away with it. Ditch the baggy jeans, they don't do anything for you.
Make the most of your Friday nights out. That club you love so much will be gone in a few years. Appreciate it now because you'll never find a place quite like it. Kiss more boys, fall in more gutters and sing more Spice Girls songs at full volume in the street. Dance moves included. Enjoy this time now, before you get your heart broken, to love completely, with trust and without fear.
Listen carefully when I say this, and ignore what Mum & Dad want you to do, DO NOT DO LAW AT UNIVERSITY. It will make you miserable. Don't worry though, if you do still decide to do it, you'll get through the traumas and the failures. But it will be incredibly hard. Do something you enjoy, don't worry about getting a job afterwards. You won't end up as a solicitor anyway, even despite the hard work. Some things just aren't meant to be. You will find a job that you love, you will succeed and you will be proud of yourself. You don't always end up where you thought you would, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Be nicer to your parents. They love you more than anything in this world and they'd go to the ends of the earth for you. Respect them and try and understand that they only want the best for you. Don't scream and shout and remonstrate when they try to give you advice. Bite your tongue. Learning to bite your tongue is one of the best lessons you can learn.
Make the most of working at the hotel, won't you? You'll have some of the times of your life there. Stay over after shifts, drink red wine with the boys, make turkey sandwiches at 3am and cause a little bit of mischief. Ask for a pay rise too, they're taking advantage of you.
Please don't cut your hair. That boy will break your heart in a couple of years but don't take it out on your hair. It'll take you forever to grow out and you'll spend half your life putting products into it so you don't look like a boy. Also, you won't be able to wear hats for fear of looking ill.
Finally, go travelling. You'll regret it if you don't.
Love,
The future you xx
