Dear Anton,
My boy. You actually made it. 21 years on the planet. Well done, there were times I wasn’t sure you would get here, but now that you are I have some fatherly advice for you.
It’s been 21 years of highs and lows. It’s like that for everyone. The good news is that the best is yet to come.
In the coming years, you will hear a lot of people saying they wish they were kids again. You might even think this yourself sometimes. It’s my job as your dad to tell you that’s bullshit. Kids can’t get blowjobs so fuck being a kid again.
So far, so good.
So far in life, you have scored a few goals, rode a few bikes, crashed a few cars, pissed some people off and made lot’s of people laugh. There’s plenty more of this to come, maybe the goals will be a little different and hopefully there are a few less crashes.
Get out there.
You’ve been to a few countries (New Zealand, Australia, Vanuatu and the USA). In the coming years, I hope that you will travel to many more.
Downhill in Whistler, X Games in Aspen, snowboarding in Japan followed by some midnight cruising around the streets of Tokyo. These things are fun to talk about, and cool to watch on YouTube, but experiencing them is ten times better in real life. That’s what I hope your 20s is about. Amazing experiences.
Money, money, money…
You’re going to be told about how important it is to get your finances sorted.
It is.
But there is nothing wrong with doing that in 5-6 years’ time. You’re only this young once so get out into the world and enjoy it. Making money in life is easy enough. The real trick is to only spend it on things that you need, and save the rest for things that you love. Loans and debt are the devil and while generosity is important, consider what it really is. Cleaning out your own bank account out while others save. That will be fun for a while, but it will cost you in the end. I did a lot of this in my youth, and I wish I could go back and be a little more selfish.
The easy things you can do now are keep up with Kiwisaver, and when you’re not doing that. Put money into an index fund on an app. Small – even tiny amounts today will make a massive difference in the future. The effect of compound interest is something I learnt about later in life. If you can get onto it early, it will make things much easier in the future. $20 here and there now will turn into thousands in the near future.
Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
Now that you’re 21 I’m going to let you in on another secret. While your 20s are going to be fun, your 30s and beyond are even better. Just like your life up until now, you will experience many more highs and lows. The highs are amazing, and the low’s can really hurt. So, remember that when it feels like the world is against you. Life can be tough sometimes, and that’s why it’s important to enjoy the good times, more importantly, always seek more of them out.
Friends.
Surround yourself with amazing people. I can’t stress this enough. You will know them when you meet them because they will inspire you to be better, and you will laugh more. They will ask you questions like “how are you” or “how did that make you feel”. These people are interested in your wellbeing, look after them. While these people are around, your life will be better.
Try not to waste too much time on people who aren’t going anywhere or who always seem to be struggling with something. Those people’s life will always suck, it’s up to you whether yours does or not, so choose your friends carefully.
Naysayers.
Don’t listen to the people who tell you how good it “was” or “it’s harder now”. There has never a better time to be alive than now. People who speak like that are stuck in the past. We all need to live in the moment. Don’t think too much about the past and try not to worry about the future. You might not wake up tomorrow, so don’t waste time thinking about what could have been, or that it would have been better at a different time.
Technology.
You’re growing up in an amazing time. Video calls still blow my mind. I think for your generation it’s important to use new technologies but understand it’s not a substitute for real life. This is super important when it comes to social media platforms. Don’t live to post your life online, live your life to enjoy each moment. Photos are important, but don’t miss out on the moment for the sake of a picture.
Never stop learning.
You might not know it now, but all the different jobs you have done are all providing you with valuable skills that will serve you well in life. Every time you start a new job, you learn new skills that help you to grow as a human being. Try to reflect on these things as they are happening, as it’s important to recognise them as achievements. At university’s they give you a certificate for everything you learn. In the school of life, you must acknowledge your own achievements. Make sure you do.