My son just turned 17, lately we have had some talks. Here is what we talked about:
-Be yourself, have your own personality. There is no need to follow the trend, because you don’t want to be a follower; you want to be the leader.
-Dream big, give yourself a purpose! Find something you are passionate about, and have a purpose. Making money shouldn’t be your only goal as you won’t go far. Remember, if you look after others, you will be looked after. But caution yourself to not let your kindness be abused.
-Although you need to calculate your risk, make sure you make a decision and take action! Without action, you can’t go anywhere.
-Respect others and be patient.
-Stop day dreaming, stop dreaming about winning lotto or meeting someone to get you out of your mess. Work on what you have, educate yourself!
-If you are not sure what to do, know there’s no guarantee that you will figure it out at university. Our education system is very dated; it has probably killed more young creativity than it has helped the young ones to achieve. It forces the intelligent young ones to fit into standards that don’t suit everyone, leaving a lot of graduates unemployed, hopeless, and depressed when they graduate, and don’t forget the crippling student loans they have. A career is fluid, a path. Find a job to support yourself financially before you figure out what you want to do.
-If you are looking for a job, go for big companies as you have a better chance to be hired. Unlike those small companies working on tight budgets, they can afford to train you and can give you access to a wider range of opportunities.
-If you do end up working in a corporate company, DO NOT spend more than 5 years there, otherwise you’ll end up like everyone else, saying the same thing, wearing the same uniform, losing yourself!
-Save. Have discipline in your spending.
-Invest! It is what you do with your income, not the income you make, that really makes a difference.
-What people think about you is their business, not yours. Surround yourselves with like-minded people and have a role model that you can look up to.
-Be happy.
~Lucia