One Thing I Would Tell Every Teenager
On September 16th 2019 I published an article on LinkedIn titled:
“15 Things I Would Tell Myself 15 Years Ago”
Today, on 25th January 2025, I am republishing the same article here on TOSCEO, with some additional closing comments at the end.
Enjoy the story, and share it with whoever comes upon your heart.
15 Things I Would Tell Myself 15 Years Ago
Thank you for choosing to read the start of this article, I really appreciate it. I hope what I share will lead you to carry on reading, in my expectation that some of what I share will be applicable to you in some way.
15 years ago yesterday I sent out my 1st invoice as PRWD, for the tidy sum of £250.00.
On previous birthdays of PRWD I have shared what at that time have felt like the most important lessons I have learnt working for myself.
So 15 years on, I can't help but write down what have been the biggest things I have learnt about myself, about business, about life. If one person reading this can take one thing from this and use it in their life, it has been worth me spending the time writing this.
So in no particular order, but the order in which things come to me, here are my biggest learnings from the last 15 years. They are learnings which I continue to practice myself.
Be Humble
No matter what you may achieve, no matter what opportunities you may get, no matter what praise you may get from others, staying humble is something that I have come to realise positively affects your whole life and the relationships and friendships you have.
Be Open-minded
During this last 15 years, if it wasn't for my open-mindedness PRWD would not be here today. Being open-minded in a business sense for me is about embracing change, facing up to uncertainty, not being fixed in one direction, and ultimately, being willing to have faith that the new path, the big decision, will ultimately be for the best for everyone concerned.
Be Patient
It can be easy these days to expect that most things come quickly or almost instantly. Simon Sinek's interview on millennials in the workplace provided a fascinating analysis of what he sees as the reasons for what can often be an expectation that big things happen quickly in life.
Whether you refer to the bible saying "You Reap What You Sow", or the Guinness tagline "All good things come to those that wait", I personally have experienced first hand just how crucial it is to be patient. This applies to making business decisions through to overall life experiences and life changes.
Be Courageous
In business, whether you are a one man band or running a bigger operation, being courageous and willing to make big important decisions, with or without all necessary information, has proven to be key to me. Having the courage to stand out, do something different, challenge the status quo, provide young inexperienced team members with opportunities to step outside their comfort zone and shine, can play a major role in propelling you and if applicable your company, forward in life.
Be Consistent
I have to admit this has been a challenge for me during various periods of running PRWD. A lack of consistency has certainly played a part in how PRWD has evolved over the years, facing up to increasing and varied pressures of the digital industry and agency life. As with all these learnings, this is a work in progress, being consistently consistent!
Be Honest
"They" say honesty is the best policy. In business the combination of being open and being honest is a combination that can instil incredible confidence in what is going on and how a team engages with each other at different levels of seniority. Developing a foundation of honesty and integrity within a business is so, so important, in my experience.
Be Sustainable
In this sense I mean sustainable financially. If there is just one thing I would share with a budding or new entrepreneur as advice for long term sustainability, I would say build your product or service around a retainer revenue stream. Retainer revenue, if you are thinking about or are growing in terms of physical size and overheads, is absolutely essential. You may not think it at the time, you may not think it for years. But at some point, relying on project-based revenue as the main % of your income will come back to present challenges to your business.
Be Giving
Sharing knowledge through whichever mediums has been something that I became deeply passionate about in 2009 when I spoke at my first event. Since then, whether through writing guest posts, speaking at conferences, delivering training, taking part in webinars, taking part in podcasts, giving and sharing lessons and experiences is one of the greatest things we humans can do for each other. You never know whom you may inspire to make a change in their career or their life.
Be Loving
OK this may seem odd in an article mainly about business, but I can't help but share what for me is the importance of loving others, for really caring about other people. From small gestures through to being there for someone in their darkest days is so important.
Be Frank
There are times when being frank with people has to be done. You realise that it is far better to address something that needs addressing than to play it safe and not face up to the conversations that need to had for the better for all people involved.
Be Calm
In various moments in your life, you may already have experienced significant challenges, when everything around seems to be up in the air, misaligned, falling apart. Developing the ability to be in the eye of the storm is incredibly important, particularly when people around you are looking to you for assurance that everything will be alright.
Be Non-judgemental
This can be incredibly hard, particularly when we have high standards. At the end of the day, none of us are perfect. None of us has got everything worked out. Everyone of us will continue to face challenging circumstances where we may not always "get it right first time". Rather than judging others, focussing on why they did what they did and then looking at ways of helping get them on the right path is a far more positive and impactful way to live life.
Be You
What is your true nature? Are you doing what brings the best out of you? Are you being true to yourself? These are all big questions which I have asked myself many times over the years. It led me to seek support from various people, both professionally and personally. No matter what age you are, no matter where you are on the journey of life, working on answering the question "who am I?" is yes deep, but also, the most important question I have ended up answering in my whole life.
Be Happy
As a direct follow-on from the last point, true happiness can be incredibly elusive. It doesn't have to be. It shouldn't be. If anyone reading this isn't truly happy inside, you are where I have previously been, and I know what it's like, and it is not a way to live this life. If this is currently you, keep searching and keep going. It will be worth it.
Be Faithful
In the last 6 months, I have gone from having almost no faith to having a life-changing level of faith. My faith has started developing during the most challenging year of my whole life. My faith in the Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit is what has allowed me to continue navigating the circumstances of my life, taking the learnings from everything, and moving forward to more love, peace and happiness in my heart and in the lives of all people in my life.
I am now living my life in absolute awe. I am humbled beyond belief. I am seeing minor and major miracles in some many areas of life around the world.
I am happy to share my faith. I am happy to chat with you if you have questions which I may be able to answer. Thank you for reading this, I appreciate it immensely.
Closing Comments For 2025 & Beyond
So, in addition to these 15 things, what is the one most important thing I would tell every teenager?
“God is real, and God loves you! He wants to be your best ever, ever friend. He will always be with you, you can talk to him at any time, wherever you are. You never, ever have to be afraid, as God is with you and He will protect you. You are God’s masterpiece! He has numbered every hair on your head! God’s thoughts for you is a number bigger than ALL the grains of sand on the beach!
Always remember, your help comes from God, who created EVERYTHING!”
Is Jesus Your Lord & Saviour?
If you haven’t already, it is now time for you to be born-again by receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour!
Head over to the Become Born-Again website to read God’s purpose for your life.
