Simone Manuel, Olympic gold-medal swimmer, remembers the doubts that came from feeling alone in the pool by writing a letter to her younger self. Growing up, she quickly excelled at swimming and was put into training groups with children much older than her, which added to her doubts and sense of not quite belonging.
But she didn't listen to the nagging voice in her head as a 12 year old telling her to give up swimming, and today she is an Olympic champion, and the first black woman to win an individual gold medal in the sport.
Read Simone's full letter here, and follow the steps below to write your own younger self a letter.
Challenge: write your younger self a letter
Channel your inner Olympian and write your own letter to your younger self.
As you're writing, try to:
- Reflect on what has happened to you in your life and the positive outcomes you’ve seen as a result.
- Advise yourself about the challenges you will face and how to overcome them.
- Write about what you have learnt from your experiences so far.
More writing activities
If you'd like to try more writing activities, why not learn how to keep a gratitude journal, or have a go at writing non-fiction.
