Cindy Crawford shares heartwarming advice to her younger self: ‘The payoff is worth it’

‘I would tell her to be kinder to herself’

(Getty Images)

In honour of turning 56 this year, Cindy Crawford has revealed a few vital pieces of advice that she would have wanted to tell her younger self.

The night before her birthday, which was 20 February, Crawford shared a black and white photograph of herself, as a child, sitting next to a birthday cake on Instagram. In the caption, the model reflected on her younger years, “looking back at little Cindy and thinking about what [she] would tell her.”

“I would tell her to be kinder to herself, to treat herself the way she treats her friends,” she wrote “I would tell her everyone feels nervous in new situations and sometimes you just have to fake it ‘til you make it. I would tell her not to be afraid to make a fool of herself— dance, sing, etc more — even if she isn’t good at it.”

She then encouraged her younger self to “laugh as much as possible” and “be vulnerable.”

“Risk showing her true self to people she loves— the payoff is worth it,” she continued. “Practice gratitude. Keep growing and learning and becoming…life is a blessing!”

In the comments, some famous faces applauded her for sharing her words of wisdom, as well as wished her happy birthday.

“Wonderful insights!” model Frederique van der Wal wrote. “The best thing is to keep growing and shedding those layers we have put on ourselves.”

“Great advice for every age,” supermodel Christie Brinkley wrote. “Happy Birthday.”

Previously, Crawford has opened up about ageing. Speaking to People in June, she discussed what her skin care routine means to her in regards to her age.

“With skin care, my approach has been ‘age-maintenance,’” she explained. “Gravity’s still out there and things are going to happen, but let me take as good care of my skin as I can.”

The supermodel also opened up about how, at the time, she wasn’t nearly as busy in her career as she had been in the past. However, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, nor is she afraid of retiring when that time comes.

“One of the big benefits for me was just slowing down and realizing I’m okay,” she said. “I feel like I’ve been so busy for the last 30 years that I thought, ‘Oh my God, what am I going to do with myself?’ [Now] If I retire – not that I’m planning on it – but it doesn’t scare me anymore. I know I am okay with a less full schedule and that’s liberating to know that.”