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Things I Would Tell My 20-year Old Self #7 – Abby

One of my favorite things about doing these “Things I Would Tell my 20-year old Self” guest posts is that I get to introduce some of my favorite bloggers to you guys!

Have you ever dreamed of leaving the rat race behind and moving to a small beach town in Costa Rica? My friend Abby did exactly that. In her blog the Jungle Princess she writes about her experiences living in small town Costa Rica and then later, her return to the fast paced life of a magazine editor in Las Vegas – and the read is totally addicting. I was really lucky that I got to meet Abby when I went to Vegas last May.  In true Vegas style,  we had tapas at the Cosmopolitan hotel, drank Champagne sangria and catapulted ourselves into the sky on the Big Shot. Abby is a sweetheart and lots of fun. As you can see from the photo below, she also has enviable hair 🙂

I hope you enjoy her advice to her younger self as much as I do!

1. Whether it’s at the bar (when offered a shot, just say, “no”) or in the dating world (men who come on strong often disappear just as quickly), be wary of instant gratification. Drink wine, sip slowly, and get to know love interests before jumping in feet first. There’s no rush and less of a hangover.

2. Work less. Ok, so you are currently breezing through college and spending way too many very late nights in South Beach clubs. But soon you will move to Manhattan and become a workaholic. The harder you work for virtually no money (hey, you chose to be a writer), the longer it will take to unwind later. Spend more time with your friends – you later end up choosing to move away from all of them, so hang out with them every minute you can.

 

3. You can be happier than your parents. And they will like it. Being a parent is hard, and yours have had some rough times. Who hasn’t? But they want to see you happy. See the world, fall in love, be selfish, don’t have kids. This is your life, and Mom just wants to see you living it to the fullest. When you finally (you end up being sort of a late bloomer in the “serious relationship” department) start looking for a man to marry, it turns out you want a completely different relationship than your parents have. And that’s ok! PS: Mom eventually becomes a globe-trotting travel junkie, so don’t feel guilty about moving out of the country later this year – go for it!4. Size 8 is hot. You think you’d be happier skinnier, but when you do get skinnier, you’re not “you,” so you have the most miserable year of your life.  So get over it now.

5. Watch your temper. A big chunk of becoming successful in the magazine industry is paying your dues. Yes, you will sometimes be smarter than the people above you, but they’ve been working longer than you. Be respectful, smile, and show up every day with a positive attitude. Your temper will get you in a lot of hot water if you don’t watch yourself. (You’re so stubborn that I know this one is falling on deaf ears.)

6. You will one day like dogs.  Yup. I know that “oh, I don’t like animals” so easily and innocently rolls off your tongue, but that will change. You move to the middle of nowhere in Costa Rica, get robbed, and then rescue the biggest street dog you can find. And he invites a friend. Then you move back to Las Vegas – with two large beasts. Life’s funny!

A reformed workaholic, Abby Tegnelia writes about being torn between living the good life she enjoyed in small town Costa Rica and the fast life of her current time as editor-in-chief of Vegas magazine in Las Vegas, NV on her personal travel and lifestyle blog, http://thejungleprincess.com. Connect with her her on facebook and twitter.

For more “Things I Would Tell my 20-Year Old Self” please see:

What would you tell your 20-year old self?

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