Guest Post: Dear 16-year-old Me

Dear 16-year-old Me:

How’s everything going? It’s been about a decade since we spoke, but I wanted to share some advice with you that may come in handy. I know your attention span rivals that of a fruit fly, so I’ll do my best to keep it simple:

1. Stop using hair gel. Please. I’m ashamed when I look at old pictures of you.

2. There will never be a time in your life when school seems more trivial and uninspiring than right now. But I promise that if you maintain a strong work ethic through high school and college, you will reap the rewards when it does matter the most to you.

3. Your favorite sports team still hasn’t won a championship, even though you think they will every. single. year.

4. Learn to ask for help. This is the single most important skill I have picked up in the last 10 years. Yes, even more important than solving a Rubik’s Cube.

5. Your heart will be broken. Multiple times. You will get angry and upset when it happens, but do not ever hold a grudge. and NEVER break another person’s heart in return.

6. Invest in Apple stock. Huge amounts. but don’t become an Apple drone.

7. Some friends will choose to walk out of your life. The important ones will come back; maybe not until a very long time has passed, but they always will. And if they don’t come back, then they weren’t important.

8. Enjoy music videos and hip hop while they last. They will both be dying a slow and painful death in the next few years.

9. Give your parents a hug every day. You won’t be living with them for much longer, and the time between visits only grows exponentially as the years pass. Family is the most important thing in the world.

10. Don’t join facebook.

11. Your best friends are still my best friends today. And I’ve been blessed to meet even more amazing people over the years. Don’t screw that up.

12. Do NOT eat that bowl of salt. The $2 you won from the bet is not enough to compensate for the pitch-black vomit you’re going to experience in the following days.

13. You won’t remember how much time you spend with your high school friends on the weekends, but you will remember how much time you didn’t spend with your siblings while you lived at home.

14. Your obsession with sports only gets worse with age. Just accept it.

15. Tell your friends and family how much they mean to you on a regular basis. Don’t wait until it’s too late. You will lose important people to horrible tragedies. This will cause you to run the gamut of emotions and question many things. That is perfectly normal, but please PLEASE share your thoughts with someone. Anyone.

16. Karma is real.

17. You will ultimately reach your goals. However, the way you get there is much, much different than what you expect. That doesn’t mean you should ever stop planning. The unforeseen path is always scary and uncertain, but so much more rewarding in the end.

18. Don’t watch Jurassic Park 3. Two hours you will never get back.

19. If a stranger looks like they need cheering up, do it. You’ll make some great friends this way.

20. Finally, I’ve realized one universal truth that will help you understand just about everything in your life: Guys are dumb and girls are crazy.


That's about it. You'll learn the rest along the way. Everything else is summed up here, so much more beautifully than I could ever hope to elucidate.

With love,

You +10

P.S. – Racquetball is so much cooler than it seems. For real.

[post inspired by this video]