We’ve asked Papier pal and multi-award winning writer Elizabeth Uviebinené to consider what she’d tell her younger self, writing it all in a letter. Elizabeth co-wrote her debut book Slay in Your Lane, the Black Girl Bible with journalist Yomi Adegoke to address the unique challenges faced by young Black girls. The book is an inspirational and honest guide, combining stories from Elizabeth’s life and interviews with other influential Black women. In this letter to her younger self, Elizabeth reflects on her past, describing how she adapted to change, cherished her community and ultimately became a voice for people around the world.
Dear younger me,
So you've had to adapt to lots of change already. You've uprooted to a different country, made new friends and adapted to a new way of life and while you're probably finding this a little bit difficult, you’re doing amazingly well.
Change is a normal part of life. You actually need it in order to grow. Don't run away from it but embrace it as much as possible. It will help you become more confident in who you are, more comfortable in your own skin, and ultimately help you navigate the world as you grow older.
Life is about people and relationships, never think you’re alone. Cherish the community around you. You will meet so many wonderful people and you will build amazing friendships and relationships along the way.
You don’t settle for the status quo but you like to imagine new ways of doing things, you love being creative and that’s going to be a key pillar in your life. Your curiosity about the world and people around you, will see you champion underrepresented voices as you strive for change.
Life is a journey and full of uncertainty. It's okay to not have things figured out all at once. In fact, that leaves room for exciting and interesting things to happen. And trust me, you'll have so many interesting things happen to you. So trust that the dots will connect in your future as you'll only be able to connect them looking back.
Also, keep writing and journaling as much as you can. Write down your feelings, your fears, your hopes and ambitions. It will help make you feel better. You're already doing that already, but keep going, in the future your writing will inspire thousands of people around the world.
Love, 29 year old Elizabeth.
Inspired by Elizabeth’s letter? Pen words to your younger self in one of our notebooks, or read other letters to past selves by Georgia Sage and Amrou Al-Kadhi. For more of Elizabeth's writing, check out her latest book about the future of work culture, The Reset.
