REGISTER NOW: Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis
REGISTER: 8THIRTYFOUR Skills Survival School Founding Cohort

Letter To My Younger Self: Elena

Written by

Share This Post:

Elena Cousino on top of a mountain.

Hi there little ‘Lena, how are you holding up? I know you have a short attention span, so I’ll try to keep this short and get to the questions you really want answered. Here’s some advice that I think you need to hear:

1. Keep Trying

You’re going to face a lot of challenges growing up. New friends, new experiences. It’s scary, but just keep trying to do your best. Math is not going to be fun, or easy, but one day you won’t have to do it by hand. You’ll get a device where it will do it for you, so just keep trying. Play all the volleyball you can, learn to play the clarinet and keep practicing and getting better, because you’ll look back and be proud of what you accomplished. 

Hi there little ‘Lena, how are you holding up? I know you have a short attention span, so I’ll try to keep this short and get to the questions you really want answered. Here’s some advice that I think you need to hear:

1. Keep Trying

You’re going to face a lot of challenges growing up. New friends, new experiences. It’s scary, but just keep trying to do your best. Math is not going to be fun, or easy, but one day you won’t have to do it by hand. You’ll get a device where it will do it for you, so just keep trying. Play all the volleyball you can, learn to play the clarinet and keep practicing and getting better, because you’ll look back and be proud of what you accomplished. 

2. Take a Breath

There’s a lot going on in your head. Maybe this person hates me, I shouldn’t wear that or I need to work on that project due next month. Take a deep breath. If you let those voices inside your head do all the talking, then you won’t be able to listen to what’s really going on. If these thoughts were issues, they’d become reality, so breathe and enjoy what’s in front of you, instead of worrying about the past and future. 

3. Be Loud

I’m sure you’ve heard, “You’re being really loud right now,” when you’re talking passionately about a subject. You’ll want to shut up, hide away in a hole somewhere and never come out, but don’t let that person bring you down. Be you, like what you like, wear pink, because who cares. Use your voice to stand up for yourself and when things are wrong, and don’t let others speak for you.

It’s going to be hard in middle and high school, I’m not going to lie to you. You’ll want to just blend in, but it’s okay to be you and have an opinion. And believe me, it gets better in college (besides the pandemic, don’t worry I’ll tell you about it soon). 

2. Take a Breath

There’s a lot going on in your head. Maybe this person hates me, I shouldn’t wear that or I need to work on that project due next month. Take a deep breath. If you let those voices inside your head do all the talking, then you won’t be able to listen to what’s really going on. If these thoughts were issues, they’d become reality, so breathe and enjoy what’s in front of you, instead of worrying about the past and future. 

3. Be Loud

I’m sure you’ve heard, “You’re being really loud right now,” when you’re talking passionately about a subject. You’ll want to shut up, hide away in a hole somewhere and never come out, but don’t let that person bring you down. Be you, like what you like, wear pink, because who cares. Use your voice to stand up for yourself and when things are wrong, and don’t let others speak for you.

It’s going to be hard in middle and high school, I’m not going to lie to you. You’ll want to just blend in, but it’s okay to be you and have an opinion. And believe me, it gets better in college (besides the pandemic, don’t worry I’ll tell you about it soon). 

A young Elena Cousino and brother.

4. Be Nice to Your Mom

Middle school is rough. You want to desperately fit in and being best friends with your mom isn’t cool anymore. Don’t be mean to your mom, she doesn’t deserve it. She is your biggest supporter (along with your dad) so don’t get short with her or ignore her. It’s cool to be friends with your mom and you’ll be happy that you were because you’ll be closer than ever when you’re older. Plus she will literally create a volleyball club so you can play more and she made you a handmade wooden cutting board, along with helping you crochet so much (she’s pretty cool). 

4. Be Nice to Your Mom

Middle school is rough. You want to desperately fit in and being best friends with your mom isn’t cool anymore. Don’t be mean to your mom, she doesn’t deserve it. She is your biggest supporter (along with your dad) so don’t get short with her or ignore her. It’s cool to be friends with your mom and you’ll be happy that you were because you’ll be closer than ever when you’re older. Plus she will literally create a volleyball club so you can play more and she made you a handmade wooden cutting board, along with helping you crochet so much (she’s pretty cool). 

A young Elena Cousino on a rocking horse.

5. Take Care of Yourself

You’re a people pleaser. That’s not a bad thing. I love that you care so much about the world, your friends and family, but girl you need to take care of yourself too. Plan self care days and get a therapist sooner if you can. 

You will have some dark days, especially during college. There’s going to be a pandemic where a lot of people will get sick, loved ones will pass away but reach out to friends and family and get yourself some support from a therapist. 

It’s not as taboo as you think, asking for help is good, and you’ll be glad you did. 

A young Elena Cousino on a rocking horse.

We’ve been through a lot and I’m sure you have a lot of questions about who we turned out to be, so let’s answer them:

  • Are we taller than 6 feet? Can we block during volleyball?

    • No. Don’t ask us about our height, we’re sensitive. You’ve only blocked someone 5 times in volleyball, and you’re very proud of that.

  • What did we end up doing for work?

    • We always had a huge list for what we wanted to be, from a veterinarian to a teacher. We’ve done lots of jobs from being a waitress, a cashier, to being on T.V. as a reporter and even walking dogs. Now we are working at an amazing communications agency showcasing amazing clients who make huge impacts in our world. It’s pretty cool.

  • Did we marry Riley from National Treasure?

    • We never had normal celebrity crushes did we, and we still don’t. No we didn’t, but we have an incredibly supportive partner who kind of looks like a young Harrison Ford.

  • Did Dad ever let us get a dog? 

    • We tried, but no. We did get a hamster and named it Puppy, though, so we’re so close. You’ll be happy to hear, though, that we have a cute cat named Pesto now and are hoping to get a dog in the future! 

 

Elena Cousino and her cat, Pesto

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Search

Recent Posts

Something on Your Mind?

Everyone knows the skills gap exists. Not enough people are asking what it's actually costing us.

Kim is partnering with mibiznetwork for a new series focused on the Hard Cost of Soft Skills - what skills are missing, what businesses are doing because of it, and most importantly... the fix. 

You can watch the first episode intro at the link in bio.
This is your Monday reminder that nobody has it all figured out at first.

Owning what makes you weird and unique takes time... and work. 

You can start that work at a Big Deal Energy workshop. First one is on June 23. Link in bio.
The brands winning in AI search aren't doing anything new; they just never stopped doing what worked.

Kim was quoted in incmagazine alongside business leaders talking about generative engine optimization, and her message is one worth hearing right now. The terminology is different, the tools are different, but the foundation is exactly the same.

Full article at the link in bio.
Big Deal Energy starts with questioning the status quo and the rules you've been told to follow. They were built for blending in, not standing out.

Thank you to fox17morningmix for the spotlight on our upcoming workshops. 

Watch the full segment at the link in bio.
Being open and being honest aren't the same thing, and according to Grace Gavin, most leaders haven't figured that out yet.

Grace is the co-founder of Know Honesty, and she joined Maddie on the Happy Hour Hustle podcast to talk about the communication gaps costing teams more than they realize.

If you lead people, this episode is for you. Link in bio.