A fasctinating discussion has been flourishing lately on CouchSurfing's Independent Women list, and I thought I'd fire it up here to see if y'all had any interesting comments to add.

The original question was:
"What if... you could go back in time and tell yourself something (besides the winning lottery numbers). What would you say?"

The original poster offered her own words of wisdom to herself at various ages. Lots of fabulous chix chimed in with their own thoughts, and here are mine:

I'd tell my 6-yr-old self not to take everything so seriously, and that if you're able to laugh at yourself the rest of the world is not nearly so scary.

I'd continuously tell my 13- to 18-yr-old self that geeks rule, and that not being the popular kid gives you much more strength and independence as an adult. Oh, and by the way, life is MUCH cooler after high school!

I'd urge my 20-yr-old self to take that semester or year abroad, that the comfort & safety of the familiar will be there when you get back, although perhaps you won't need it nearly so much.

I'd tell my late-20s self to go for it, dream big, take those risks, but also have a financial safety net in case things don't work out exactly as planned.

And I can't help but wonder what my 40- 50- or 60-yr-old self would tell the present me... I suspect it would have something to do with: things always work out for the best, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time; there are no easy answers and that's what keeps things interesting; and never lose the childlike sense of wonderment that comes from trying new things. To piggyback off that a bit, two things my now-98-yr-old grandmother has been telling us our whole lives: never stop learning, and keep your body as active as your mind. I think she's onto something... she made it to 98, after all.

What wisdom would you go back and tell yourself?