This Is Probably The Best Advice You'll Ever Hear

As a means of a farewell following the announcement of CBC Radio's WireTap going off the air for good, the show posted an insanely inspiring video on their Facebook page featuring people giving advice to their younger selves, starting with kids as young as seven and going all the way to adults as ~young~ as 93 years. And every piece of advice is something useful for pretty much anyone. If you're anything like me—a sentimental mess who cries even during radio commercials—then this one will absolutely move you. Through advice about training wheels, Legos, and married men hitting on you, it's hard to watch this video without reliving your own experiences—and thinking about what you wish you'd known, and what you're kinda glad you didn't know.

And if you're a parent (again, like me), the younger ones will really get to you, making you excited for the future days of your kids being older, but with a part of you dreading the end of their childhood. (I told you I was a sentimental mess.) There is never an inappropriate time to open yourself up to advice or be willing to give advice to your kids and friends. Not only can you relate to a lot of this advice, but you can also take heed of it yourself. Even the kid who urges his younger self to "stay weird" can teach us a lesson about not conforming to the so-called "norms" and of letting our freak flags fly, if you will. Basically, there's a hell of a lot of truth in every single piece of wisdom being issued in this video, and somehow, all of it feels equally applicable to people of all ages.

As kids, we want to be grown-ups. And as adults, we long for the days of zero responsibilities and no debt. Somewhere along the way toward becoming grown-ups, we start to forget how to just enjoy the age we are in and stop being so concerned with what other people think of us or say about us. If I could say something to my younger self, I would urge her, desperately, to ditch those too-wide pants and oversized Insane Clown Posse t-shirts and the mean look on her 14-year-old face. And if I'm being honest, I'd tell myself a lot of the things that the people in this video are imparting to their younger versions.

1. "Popular kids. They are narcissistic capitalists that know nothing about politics."

Even as an adult, I'm like, "Screw all of those acquaintances of mine who talk like they're putting on a show for someone and need to post everything to Facebook so they can be seen doing cool stuff." Especially when I'm home firing up the Netflix like it's nobody's business. Because yes, as a kid you struggle to fit in and sometimes worm your way into the more "popular" groups. And then as an adult, you somehow still strive to be accepted and "cool." But there comes a point where you just need to say "fuck it" and be yourself, without putting on an act.

2. "Go easy on the makeup. You're not as ugly as you think."

As a teenager, I was attached to my black eyeliner. As an adult, I can see how less is so much more. But who can't relate to this 19-year-old girl's advice? Any adult can agree that at some point in your adolescence, you felt less than what you were. You felt rejected or ugly or just unwanted in some way. And for some kids, makeup was a way to be pretty and gain some attention for once. Never mind the blue eye shadow and white eyeliner (can you believe that was ever a thing?!)—we just wanted to be lovable and cool. It never occurred to us that we never needed to try that hard.

3. "Always be kind to your family. You'll need each other when things get tough."

When you were a teenager, you likely hated spending any time with your family. At best, you mildly resented being obligated to spend time with them, even if you didn't abjectly loathe it. It was all about your friends and all the guys or girls you were dating, or wanted to be dating, or couldn't believe you'd dated... you get the picture. I was admittedly that way, just like most other people. Family meant very little to me, which is absolutely not the case anymore. And not just because I need them when things are tough, but because in most cases, your siblings are the people who know you like no one else ever could. The weird inside jokes I share with my brother are enough to turn off our spouses and make people awkwardly stand by as we share an identical, loud laugh. Eventually, you actually do realize there's not much that can compare with that.

4. "It's never too late to try something new."

Whether it's fried squid or hang gliding, it really is never too late to be more open minded about things. This life lesson is one that should be followed in so many aspects of your life. Is your partner eager to try out that weirdo, bendy, gymnastics-looking position in bed? Just go for it. Have you always wanted to go zip-lining but always find an excuse not to? Don't be lazy, or too scared. Just make it happen. I can't promise you it won't be pretty damn scary, but just make sure that harness is nice and tight.

5. "Indulge your sweet tooth. You'll need dentures soon anyway."

Take this literally or metaphorically; Either way, run with it because it's true (she wrote as she unwrapped another Reese's peanut butter pumpkin cup). But it also holds true for making yourself unafraid to live fully, and to do little things like pig out at a buffet or stay up too late; things that bring little servings of joy to your life that can add up to a large contributing factor of your happiness. I don't know how much happiness chocolate and peanut bring to you, but they can be counted pretty high on my list of priorities.

Images: Radio CBC/Facebook; Giphy (4); Klearchos Kapoutsis/Flickr