Teens Meet Outreach

Dear self,

I know this meets you well, guy. It’s a rough journey but you are seventeen already. Take a look at all your good achievements. You have made it out of high school and you are looking forward to gaining admission into a reputable tertiary institution.

However, boy, you are looking at a whole long journey ahead. The transition to being an adult, tertiary institutions days, some sad days, lot of better days ahead, a lot of great people to be met. I know you have a lot of friends but let me be the first to tell you, you are going to meet many more different people and their uniqueness, trust me, is more than you are imagining right now. And just so you know, you will be learning new things as they are happening. You will keep on learning because life won’t stop teaching.

See, many events will happen and it’s more than you can envisage right now. Before you kick start this journey, know this, life doesn’t come with guidelines. You will learn the way of life while it’s happening to you.

Patience, they say, is a virtue. Please keep this in mind. I know you can’t wait to make decisions yourself, do things your own way and make thing happen. Guy, time waits for no one and it doesn’t come twice. You can only be seventeen this year; you can’t undo it and you can’t redo it, so just enjoy it the way it is.

Let your parents and guardians continue to make decisions with you. Learn their perspective towards solving a problem and integrate it into your perspective later in life. Rushing toward adulthood isn’t good for you; explore your teen life, make mistakes, learn from your mistakes, try new things, try solving daily activities with a new approach.

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I must warn you of ‘peer pressure‘. Thank goodness you have known your right from your left and you know what is bad from what is good. Don’t let your peers pressurize you into making bad decisions and doing bad things. They come with consequences. While some might be mild, some are gravy and you have to pay for it for the rest of your life.

As much as I want you to make friends and build an awesome people network, you must also be selective with friends you make. Be picky and search for good attributes in people and how they can compliment you. People can be your greatest assets.

Have you tried getting a skill? See, life isn’t all about formal education and there is no one way to living, you have to try different means. Getting a skill will add to your portfolio. There are lots of formal soft skills out there such as creative writing, website designing, cartoonist, playing of musical instruments, writing song lyrics, etc. There are also informal soft skills such as stylist, furniture making, disk jockey, fashion designer, etc.

Don’t be idle. Don’t relent. You can do anything you put efforts and your mind into. Try it and you will see how easy it will become over time.

It is interesting writing to you, but I have to conclude it this way. The society, family, and world at large will be expecting more from you. But it isn’t about them but about you and your dreams. You have to up your game, make decisions you won’t regret, live your life the way you want but listen to advise from people both old and young.

Opportunity doesn’t come just once, it can be numerous times but you have to be prepared to make the most of it. If you miss it the first time, prepare yourself, another one might come your way later.

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Above all, I hope you remember to have fun.

Yours in regards,
Your older self

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If you had the chance to talk to your younger self, what would you say?