Looking Back Teaches Us Lessons For Future Generations
Reaching the thirty-year milestone today since turning seventeen, I look back on ten things I’ve learned during those three decades, which may be useful to someone that age today.
This month I celebrate thirty years since turning seventeen. That was in 1992. A year when Bill Clinton was elected 42nd US President, the first nicotine patch was introduced to help stop smoking, DNA fingerprinting was invented, Windows 3.1 was released by Microsoft, AT&T launched the VideoPhone 2500 for $1,499, and REM released their classic album, Automatic for the People.
Someone turning seventeen in 2022 would have been born in 2005, the year YouTube was founded. Only thirteen years would have passed since my seventeenth birthday, but the technological and digital leaps in that narrow slip of time feel more like decades. Generation Z (born since the mid-90s) are the first generation never to know the world without the internet.
As part of my role with Dell Technologies, I’ve worked with local schools here in Dubai, talking and listening to teenage students at careers fairs and open days. These conversations didn’t just cover work, but also values and outlooks. I got a genuine sense of many looking to live a life of purpose that went beyond just a career.
Reaching the thirty-year milestone since turning seventeen, I look back on ten things I’ve learned during those three decades, which may be useful to someone that age today.
I encourage you to share them with someone in your life who you think might benefit. Perhaps a son, daughter, niece, nephew, or grandchild.
1. There will be many different versions of you
When I was seventeen, I wanted to be a professional footballer. But that wasn’t a realistic career option, no matter how much passion I had. Instead, I went to university and picked a few subjects that interested me. I still didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I tried different things and found that passion in my career eventually came from getting good at something, building a set of valuable skills at the different companies I worked for.
There is no single or correct path in life. Don’t worry about the specifics of what your life will look like in five or ten years. Instead, lay a foundation by being open to trying different things and building skills. I wrote about finding “match quality” in my last article, which is based on having many experiences across your life and career, recognising that what you’re interested in now might not be the case later. And that’s fine. You’re growing and learning about yourself. There will be multiple versions of you over a lifetime.
2. Failure leads to growth
You’ll fail many times. Everybody does, and it’s good because you’ll learn something you didn’t know. One of the world’s greatest inventors, Thomas Edison, made 1,000 unsuccessful attempts at inventing the light bulb. But he learned something from each failed attempt. Don’t be afraid to fail. Failure is necessary for success. You’ll see new paths, make your strengths even stronger, and create a unique opportunity for self-growth.
3. Treat being focused as a superpower
Everyone handles academic responsibilities differently. If you go to college or university, you’ll need to figure out what works best for you. I was prone to over-studying and putting too much pressure on myself. That continued when I studied for my postgraduate diploma several years later. I’ve since realised that having focus and a smart system is the way to go. For me, Mind Maps became a game-changer during my later studies, helping me visualise my notes for more effective recall and application.
Today, there are far more digital distractions, but there’s also far more material on the best way to take notes, study, and stay focused. Cal Newport’s How To Become a Straight-A Student is an essential read for anyone about to go into higher education.
4. Train your body and mind
A sport or physical activity keeps your body healthy, amongst many other benefits, while mental activities like reading, meditation, or a hobby provide a release from study or stress. Set times to do both so they become lifestyle habits. Identify with an image of yourself as someone committed to training your body and mind. It can unlock remarkable things within you, as well as keep you balanced, mindful, and happy.
5. Build healthy savings habits
Freedom of choice—control over doing what you want, when you want, with the people you want—is one of the most important indicators of happiness in life. People often point to Warren Buffett as the world’s greatest investor. His skill is investing, but his secret is time. Almost the entirety of Buffett’s financial success comes from the financial base he built as a teenager and the longevity he maintained in his later years. That’s the power of compound interest. If you can start the journey of saving regularly now—even a small amount, like one less cup of coffee from Starbucks each day—you’re on the path to freedom of choice.
6. Take an intentional approach to social media
While there are positive effects of social media, the danger is that it’s built to consume as much of our time and attention as possible. Take a more intentional approach and keep a healthy perspective about social media’s role in our lives. This will also help avoid the effects of social comparison, which often has a negative mental and emotional health impact. A 2018 University of Pennsylvania study found that reducing social media use to thirty minutes a day resulted in a significant reduction in levels of anxiety, depression, loneliness, sleep problems, and Fear of Missing Out (FOMO).
7. Expose yourself to lots of interesting ideas
Let things catch your attention and be ready to take advantage of it. Read and listen to books, audiobooks, and podcasts, talk to people who interest you, and attend conferences and events—physical and virtual—where people and ideas come together. Seize the moment if you randomly meet someone interesting; follow up with them. Often, our most memorable or life-changing moments come from random or serendipitous happenings. Put yourself in those positions as often as you can. I ended up moving to a new country based on a chance conversation. It was one of the best things I did.
8. Study character and leadership
Familiarise yourself with great leaders from the past and contemporary times. Especially those leaders who had to overcome monumental challenges. You’ll see how they built two of life’s most important skills—resiliency and reframing (the mindset to turn a negative into a positive). Read biographies and watch documentaries. I keep a copy of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations by my bed. The great Roman emperor was also a philosopher who wrote a powerful series of spiritual reflections and exercises as he struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe.
9. Stay humble and open to different views
Adopt a mindset that allows your deepest assumptions to be challenged. Avoid being 100% certain on anything—leave room for different perspectives. Read, listen, and watch widely and critically across intelligent, thought-provoking, and credible sources to give you a more nuanced understanding of the world. Listen with a genuine interest to understand—you don’t need to change someone’s mind. Cultivate the mindset and skills to debate with respect for the other person. You’ll often find you get the same in return.
10. Contribute to something larger than yourself
Charles Dickens said, “no-one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another.” It’s my favorite quote. Helping and serving others is one of the most meaningful things we can do as human beings. Volunteer for things, get involved in community groups where you have a genuine interest. Offer your time and support. This is intrinsic motivation—doing something for its inherent satisfaction, rather than some external reward. Be useful to the world. Be a guiding light.
And have fun. Enjoy life. Travel, explore, hang out with your friends and do the things you love to do. You’ll make mistakes and have regrets, but that’s normal and part of life. Learn by living. Appreciate your family, your teachers, the adults in your life who want the best for you. They were your age once. I made some of my best memories as a teenager. I’ll never forget my first trip abroad, to Rome and Venice, with my school friends when I was seventeen. We’re still friends.
And we haven’t forgotten the album we played to death on that long bus trip from Scotland to Italy. REM’s finest, Automatic for the People.