Your 13-year-old self

At LifeChanger we get to work with thousands of young people and some amazing mentors who support them.

The empowering sessions help build the emotional, social and resilience skills needed for a young person to live a thriving, resilient life.

Our LifeChanger mentors listen, support and often share some of their life learnings.

So, the question for you today is “what would you go back and tell your 13-year-old self?” Here’s some thoughts to ponder…

What would you tell your 13-year-old self?

1. Don’t be scared to make a mistake.

Mistakes teach you important lessons. The biggest mistake you can make is doing absolutely nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake. Don’t doubt yourself. In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance. You’ll never be 100 per cent sure it will work, but you can always be 100 per cent sure doing nothing won’t work. Most of the time you just have to go for it! And no matter how it turns out, it almost always ends up just the way it needs to be. Either you succeed or you learn something. Win-Win. Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.

2. Don’t worry about what other people think about you.
For the most part, what other people think and say about you doesn’t matter that much. Don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way. What they think and say about you isn’t important. What is most important is how you feel about yourself.

3. Work out what you’re passionate about and pursue it.
Where are those moments when you lose track of time doing something? When you’re in flow? What makes you feel good? Pursue the things that make you feel good, that challenge you, that excite you. Things that help you ‘make the most of yourself!’

4. Connect with people.
Bosses. Colleagues. Professors. Classmates. Other students outside of your major or social circle. Teaching assistants. Career advisors. Friends of friends. Everyone! Why? Start building your professional network early, you’ll be set. Over time, you’ll continue talking to new people you meet through your current network and your network’s reach and the associated opportunities will continue to snowball.

5. Respect others and be kind!
In life and business, it’s not so much what you say that counts, it’ how you make people feel. Respect your elders, minors, and everyone in between. There are no boundaries or classes that define a group of people that deserve to be respected. Treat everyone with the same level of respect. In order to get, you have to give.

6. Accept and embrace change.
However good or bad a situation is now, it will change. That’s the one thing you can count on. So embrace change, and realise that change happens for a reason. It won’t always be easy or obvious at first, but it will always be what you make it and it will be always up to you!

So what advice would you give the 13-year-old you?

Infinite Possibilities,

Scott.