How are you living your life? Have you made the best choices? Or, in retrospect, do you believe your decisions could or should have been different? Could the key lie in your younger self?

Life doesn’t come with do-overs. We do what we do and, unfortunately, we can’t go back in time to undo the things we’ve done. Sure, moving forward we can fix things, however, as much as we may want it, time travel for us just isn’t an option. If only . . . right?

What if you decided to take a retrospective walk down memory lane? To play back your life in your head and heart as you experience a tangle of emotions — from grief to joy, fear to bravado, shame to pride . . . and everything in between? And what if, during this time of reminiscing, you had a chance to speak to your younger self? You know — that awkward and shy 7-year old child, the self-conscious 10-year old girl or the arrogant 13-year old who believes she’s on the brink of womanhood? What would you say to her? Knowing what you know now about yourself and everything you have been through in life, what words of wisdom would you impart to her?

Our childhood forms the basis for the lives we live. The moments we live make up the memories we have. The choices we make play a role in the memories we make — the ones we cherish or the ones we loathe. I wrote a letter to my 12-year old self. And I decided to be frank and honest with her.

What kind of memories are you making? And what would you tell your younger self to put her on the right path to fond memories and a stronger sense of self?