8.5 Tips For My Teenage Self To Build A Better Future

You’ll thank me for this later

Photo by Nazar Strutynsky on Unsplash

• Stay in school! Stop rolling your eyes at me, you can’t afford to waste any more of our time playing pool. Our future life needs more opportunities than what you’re currently providing. You have to be better than our family!
• Figure out what you want from the future and work backwards from there. Just “jobs” are going to be a bad idea for us. Unless it’s writing. Do more writing.
• Write more. Study how to write better, then do more of it. Then, keep what you’ve written. Do NOT throw it in a fire in ten years.
• Don’t buy into the crap everyone is saying about us. They bring you down to feel better about their shitty lives. You are a badass. You’re going to be an amazing writer someday with your head full of stories and things you want to share. You’re going to be amazing, don’t let our family tell you any different.
• Don’t take on responsibilities because you “should”. The family is going to train you to be a good little maid/cleaner/daughter. You need to resist this training, even though it’s going to be hard. They’ll drive our independence out of you if you give in. Don’t do it.
• Aim for a career that brings you both money and joy. We’re going to need both in the days to come.
• Specialize. Don’t settle for “good enough”. They did, and look where it got them.
• Lastly, develop a strong work ethic. Be better than the rest of them. Our future happiness depends on it.

Oh — and speaking of future happiness?

There’s a guy coming a few years from now. Don’t look at him, don’t talk to him and definitely DON’T MARRY HIM!

You’ll thank me for this when we’re 40.