Here’s what Solange would tell her teenage self today

It’d be great to go back to our teen years, just because we know so much more now than we did back then. Solange Knowles wrote a note to her teenage self to help illustrate just that.

Knowles, known for her music (as well as being the younger sister of Beyoncé) often writes her own songs, which read more like poetry. So, it makes sense that her advice — which was written for Teen Vogue — takes on a similar form.

"there will be fear. a lot of it. there will be triumph. a lot of it. there will be constellations you want to reach for but can’t put your finger on. you will trace them like the scars on your body you got from trouble and the times of your life," Knowles said at the start of her piece.

Throughout the piece, Knowles definitely digs deep. But, we love how honest she is. Being a teenager is extremely difficult, and Solange seemed to get the experience exactly. Even though she probably had it a bit differently as a teenager compared to the majority of us, the emotions and life lessons she discussed are absolutely the same.

Knowles also discussed criticism, and how to handle it.

“sometimes you push these phases to the max, and when you go out into the world feeling confident in who you are and what you reflect, young folks will call you names and grown folks will call you names. It’s ok. one day you will name yourself, and that name will belong to you,” she wrote. “i really hate to tell you this, but sometimes you will still get called these things as an adult, except you will actually embrace some of them.”

From there, she mentioned the power of words — noting that while they may be strong, they should have no control over your actions.

“you will learn that these are just words. words that only have power if you choose to give them power. every once in a while they will hurt, but you will choose to turn those words into a symbol of beauty.”

But one of the most important things Knowles wrote about is how important it is to ask for help.

"it won’t make you less strong or less powerful. no one you love will criticize you or blame you; in fact, they will lift you up," she noted.

Knowles definitely knows a lot about life, and we’re so thankful that she shared this wisdom. Hopefully it’ll reach a teen or two who might be feeling a little discouraged.