Words by: Eden Hopgood
Art by: Lauren Gallina

Dear future me,

I hope you’re healthy; I hope you’re happy. 

I hope you’ve said yes to every opportunity that fulfils you, and learnt to say no to the ones that don’t. 

I hope you’re exactly where you need to be at this point in time. 

I’m here writing you this letter as our 21-year-old self, reflecting on all that we’ve already experienced in this life and contemplating all we are yet to.

I’m proud of the life you’ve built and how hard you have worked to achieve your goals so far — I don’t think I remind myself of that often enough, so I hope you’ve learnt to congratulate yourself more. I hope you’ve got that job you wanted and that you worked hard to get there. I am writing to you currently in our second-last year of uni and at the beginning of this journey now, working as hard as we can to access and take as many opportunities as we’re given: I hope you continue to persevere. 

With every no, a new door opens, and beyond it, a new chance. In saying this, don’t push yourself. You don’t have to, and often won’t get the opportunity to experience everything exactly when you want to. This has been a hard lesson for me to learn and one I’m still learning — to not take things personally and not stress if plans go awry. We’ve always been good at stressing.

A lot has happened in the last few years — between COVID and its impact on your mental health, the feelings of isolation, and the frustrations of moving to and from Melbourne — that has made you feel this way. But recently, I am coming to terms with the fact that life doesn’t have to be riddled with uncertainty and worry. Just look at how much my life has changed in the last few years; I’ve gone from living in a small town to now living in Melbourne, with more great and loving friends than I ever imagined and so many more opportunities.

You don’t have to be constantly worried about upsetting others, doing wrong, or not getting something, because at the end of the day you are living your life for yourself, and there are endless opportunities for you to seize. Life works out the way it is going to, and you’re not any less obligated to enjoy things based on one mistake or miscalculation. I hope you live out this mantra and that you don’t let yourself live your life riddled with guilt or anxiety, because you won’t truly enjoy it if you do. And we deserve to.
So, take those leaps, keep working towards your goals, and remember to relax. Everything is going to plan, slowly but surely. I hope.