A letter to my 16 year old self

You're going through a really tough time right now, one that you never really discussed with your friends and family properly. One you've hidden from and also will never reveal but it's kept you going.

You're torn between doing something you love or something that's expected of you. You wish you could figure out things yourself without the pressure of life getting to you and worrying what other people think. Too many people have told you that you can't achieve things and you're dreaming too big, to settle down a bit. Imagining your thirties and hoping that clarity and direction is something you'll have at that age. Just sitting there hoping that you'll achieve the dreams you've been wishing for since you were young.

Let me tell you now, it's been 6 years now and you're so much stronger than you've ever been, things haven't worked out according to plan but you're doing okay. Taking one day at a time and realising that life can't be planned down to the T, you just have to roll with the punches. Independence has become you, although you're flighty, you're independent as hell as you can handle things on your own but the support network you have is full of the best people who love you very much.

You did it, you moved to Hong Kong, the dream that you told your 9 year old self over and over again that you would do, you love it here and hope to keep on striving forward. Make some more dreams happen, you've accomplished one, what's a few more?

You made it through University too, you learnt a lot about people, about life and how to become a little bit more open but closed at the same time, to reveal one ace at a time and not to play all your cards at once.

Yes, you still have that ever naive faith that people are genuinely good, one that hopefully will stay with you but you've also realised who you should put your trust and faith in. You're still super clumsy and fail at life sometimes but people think that you manage just fine.

You've got some clear goals now and you're finding your own way in life, hopefully in another 6 years time you'll do yourself even prouder.

Don't fret, life will work itself out and you've already achieved more than you can imagine. The important thing is that you're okay.