Chapter 1 — To Me Who Isn’t Me
Hey, future me.I’m talking to you from a time you can still remember.I am the you who is not yet you.I am the one still shaping, still learning, still wondering.You are the one who has already lived the answers.Right now, I have most things I need — a roof, a bed, a routine, people around me.But I know life is more than having things.It is about becoming someone you can be proud of.That’s what I’m working on now.You will have gained so much.New skills, new friends, maybe even a new city to call home.But you will also have lost things.A few people.Some old habits.And maybe even parts of yourself that no longer fit.I want you to remember me — not because I am perfect, but because I am trying.Every morning, I push myself a little more.Every night, I think about what I could do better.I am building you with small choices that no one claps for, but they matter.When you stand on a stage, remember I was the one who first spoke up.When you write your story, remember I was the one who held the pen even when my hand shook.When you meet someone who inspires you, remember I was the one who looked for inspiration in small places.Future me, I hope you haven’t forgotten the feeling of starting.That mix of fear and excitement.That strange trust that things will work out, even when you don’t know how.Don’t lose it.It’s what made you.I am the me who isn’t yet you.But every step I take is a gift for you.One day, you’ll look back and see —I was the root, and you are the tree.
And future me, I want you to understand something important — I am not just your beginning, I am also your reminder.
I am the one who teaches you where you came from, so you never lose yourself in where you are going.
Right now, I am shaping habits that will live in you.
Some days I choose wisely, some days I fail.
But each day, I am trying.
I know there will be times when you feel so different from me that you might think, “That was another person.”
But no — I am you.
And you are me.
You might have more confidence, more experience, more control in life — but remember the one who took the first step when nothing was certain.
Remember the quiet evenings when I planned the next day, not because anyone told me to, but because I wanted to grow.
Remember the mornings I got up even when my mind told me to stay in bed.
Future me, if one day you forget how to slow down, come back to me.
I know how to sit in silence without rushing.
I know how to find joy in the ordinary — the smell of tea, the sound of rain, the warmth of sunlight on the floor.
I hope you still notice those things.
When you meet people who only see your success, tell them about me — the version who worked quietly, loved deeply, and dreamed honestly.
Because no matter how far you go, you will always carry me inside you.
I am the me who isn’t yet you,
But without me, you would never be you.
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