They say to be old and wise, you first have to be young and stupid...and it looks like some of us are going to be very old and very wise some day.
Helen Mirren yesterday shared tips of some of the wisdom she has learnt along the way - and she's 71 so she knows a thing or 2 about life. Her advice includes "ignore anyone who judges you for how you look, open your heart to love, confront bullies and don't be in a rush to get married."
I asked the listeners of the Early Breakfast "if you could go back and give your younger self some advice, what would it be?"
I have a couple; that haircut I got when I was 15. I cut out a photo of Lisa from Steps from Smash Hits or one of those magazines and brought it to a hairdresser. I ended up with a bowl haircut, but held hope that it wasn't that bad. Turns out, it was worse. Going up an escalator in Shaw's in Waterford to meet my mam and my sister, as I glided up to where they were standing at the top, I got the reaction first-hand - hands-on-knees-with-the-laughter. Thanks.
There's obviously one or two boyfriends I had that could have been avoided too - but from reading listeners' texts, it's basically a rite of passage to have some cloven-hoofed oaf ruin your life and make you miserable for a period of time...and you learn from it.
And finally - this is a really common theme from this morning - we would all tell ourselves not to care so much about what other people think of us. Honestly, people are so worried about themselves, they barely notice you. As my mam says "sure who'd be looking at you?!". And wasn't she right?
Have a read below and let me know if we've missed any!
- “Stop worrying about being embarrassed at the time. No one is that worried about you anyway!”
- “Message for my younger self; don’t drink all that Scrumpy Jack and end up weeing in your mate’s parents chest of drawers” – ScubaS via Snapchat
- “Mine is not to go to school the snowy morning when I got attacked by the German Shepherd...I’m still afraid of big dogs!” – DJDobbo via Snapchat
- “Hi Paula. I would tell myself to travel more coz soon as you have the babies, the ability to pack and leave at the drop of a hat is gone!” - Peter
- “Hit the gym. Drink more water. Get more sleep. Eat less sugar. Keep running.” – B in Cork
- “Hi P. I’d tell a younger me not to go to that far-off college because you want to get away from your life. You're not going to be any happier there than you would have been at home.”
- “Hi Paula, my advice to my younger self would be to build a career, not a history of jobs. Also trust your gut and get a MacSweeney beany as early in life as you can, as it might have saved your hair! Please!”
- “Get fit and save your money. So when you’re 30 you can rule the world!”
- "DON'T EVER STOP RUNNING! YOU'RE GOING TO END UP FAT AND IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE THAT!" – Fat, Cork
- “Hi Paula. The advice I'd give to my younger self is the same advice I give myself today. Don't be so hard on yourself - you wouldn't let someone else speak to you that way, so don't speak to yourself that way.” - Conor
- “Hi Paula - the advice I would give myself would be not to stress over exams and school and truly follow your dreams. There's way more to life than academic success!” - Raggy in Carrick on Suir
- “I would tell my younger self to move away straight after school and travel before jumping straight into a job!”
- “My advice to young self; here for a good time not a long time - head down arse up power on.” - David Flynn Westmeath
- “Hi Paula! I would've told my younger self to buy property in the early 90's in London, instead of just renting and partying, oh yeah and above all to use sunscreen!” - Ollie from Wexford
- “Morning Paula! Have confidence in yourself. Wish I had. I always thought I was fat at 17, now I'm 34 and can't shift the fat, haha!”
- “Don't judge people for the mistakes they've made. You might land up making them too and feeling like a right plonk.”
- “Hi Paula. My advice to my younger self would be talk to your parents more. You never know when they’ll be gone and you don’t realise what you have until it’s gone.” – Ger, Kildare
- “Hi Paula my advice to my younger self would be to have confidence. Learn to drive at a younger age. Don't worry what you think others are thinking about you.”
- “Morning Paula, my advice to my younger self would be to NOT go into business with family especially when you brother is married to a perfidious knave! (that's the best way I can describe her for radio purposes!)”
- “I'd definitely tell myself not to get married when I did. Who knew I'd meet the person I really wanted to be with 2 years into a marriage...!” - anon
- “I would tell myself not to marry in ‘95. Huge mistake.” - J in Killarney
- “Hi Paula, beware of the butterfly effect when giving your younger self advice, as it could change everything around you today, and do you really want that? Sorry for going deep on a beautiful Friday morning in Galway.” - Donal
