I listened to the radio, or it might have been a TV show, about a concept of writing a letter to the 16 year old person you once were. The idea was to imagine what advice you might give to yourself to better prepare you for life. This started me thinking about what I might write.
At sixteen I was far too confident for my own good but not worldly wise and had little concept of the real world. However I did leave home at seventeen, get married and move to the lights of London; where I was confident I would find my fortune. The idea of the letter has taken a lot more thought than I initially imagined!
Dear Me,
Let’s get the easy points out of the way first! Two things you will benefit from for the rest of your life if you take time to do them now: - learn a foreign language fluently and learn to play either the piano or a guitar. You have no idea how much this will enrich the rest of your life.
Follow all the advice your mother will give you, she really does know best! - I appreciate this is hard to understand now. Read books including the Classics. You eventually start in your early thirties but think how many more books you could have read if you had started at sixteen.
Understand that material things can sometimes make your life easy but bring no satisfaction. Look after yourself; you will think you are immortal up to the age of forty. Good health and friendship is far more important than the shoes you wear. Many people will try to tell you everything is measured by how much money you earn. There will be a brilliant guy called Steve Jobs who can verify everything I say above.
Be honest and understanding of others, always try to see what motivates another person. We all need help sometimes and you will be surprised how rewarding it is to help someone. At the age of fifty you will know the meaning of life. It is what you leave behind not how much you spend. Plant a tree, plant many trees, make a garden, make people laugh, always leave something for the other person, make time for family and friends - don’t drift apart, enjoy good food and sunshine. Understand that this world has limited resources - so travel the world and learn about how others live. Travel will teach you more than you could ever learn in school or college.
As soon as you start work save your money and buy up every early Land Rover you can find - especially 1948 models and Tickford Station Wagons. Trust me you will really appreciate these in later life!
Finally, if you really can’t follow this advice, become a Banker or a Corporate Lawyer because they do find the secret of immortality.
Yours sincerely