What could also ease your stress is a different way of thinking about how we travel through this world. The letters are short, and some are un-relatable, but there were nuggets that were like hearing my mother in my head. I hope that you find comfort in knowing that it’s your softness that makes the world a little better.

Writing a letter to your younger self can be a cathartic and extremely thought provoking experience. Thus, despite boasting of 30+ letters from brilliant women, I doubt I will take away much except a nugget or two from a letter here and there.Stop looking outside yourself for validation and approval – you’re letting other people define your happiness. Even if your pool of mistakes can drown a poor dog, don't give up because of those things; every situation provides a newer experience for you.

Know that daring to show your vulnerability, being open to others, and stopping judging others by impossible levels of perfectionism will be the greatest gift you can ever give yourself. By the age of five, I could cook myself dinner, clean up the mess, and go to the barn to feed and clean up after the horses. Your friend will see that you have been wrapped up and to yourself over the past few days and ask you to go out. Have a go at reflecting and putting your thoughts to paper in this creative exercise for u3a members.Don't have out with anyone who doesn't understand why you're so wonderful, or who needs to be told, or who doesn't tell you at regular intervals or when you forget. Or for some of the women who lost loved ones too soon--spend as much time as you can with them now because you may not have them much longer. You may feel that you’ll never achieve what these powerful bosses have, but you may be taken aback at what happens when you begin to make your bosses’ problems your own problems to solve. It meant getting in the way of my mother’s anger and making up excuses when my friends asked to come over after school.

But divide them into groups: some you should study and get to understand like your textbooks, others you should read like your novels. And since the letters were written by the likes of Phylicia Rashad, Madeleine Albright, Vanna White, and Maya Angelou (to name a few) it was interesting to see which point in their younger lives they chose to focus on and what advice they felt that younger self really needed.

Nurture your relationship with her as your little sister and of course, be there for her as her big sister. If you put 10 percent of your potential in, it will work that 10 percent and you will be operating at 20 percent of your possibilities. Unless one has been through the same specific situation as mentioned in the letter, it is hard to relate to it, given the short length. More than 10 years ago, The Big Issue began asking people that and since then, some of the most brilliant and successful people from the worlds of entertainment, politics, food, sport and business have had their letters published in the magazine.