Parenting

This Is The Advice Every 17-Year-Old Needs To Hear

by Todd Brison
Updated: 
Originally Published: 
17-year-old boy listening to music on headphones
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You are probably going to hate what I’m about to tell you.

If you are 17 right now, what if you decided you are going to follow an interest you have for the next 20 years?

Here’s what your life would look like at 37:

– You would be a true master of your craft.

– You would be able to mentor people and grow your influence. – You would be doing something you love every day.

Before half your life is over, you will reach a place most don’t find in their lifetimes.

The advice I’m supposed to give is “Have fun! Live life! You’re only young once!” That is true. Here is another thing that is true:

The sooner you start building the life you want, the easier it is to do so.

I don’t want you to do whatever you want for a while between the ages of 17 and 37.

I want you to be able to do whatever you want every single second from 37 to 107.

1. Money

The other night I ate possibly the best cake I’ve ever had.

“Who MADE this?” I asked.

“Our daughter Lily,” said another couple at the table.

“Do you have business cards?!” I asked Lily, joking.

“Yep, I sure do,” she said.

Turns out Lily has been making cakes and selling them to fund her half-marathon this summer. She is 12.

Money is not everything. But it certainly opens doors which would otherwise be closed.

There is not an age limit for earning an income. Start now.

2. Skills

Is 20 years too much a commitment? Okay, do this instead:

– Find something you are sort of good at.

– Then do it every day for 30 days. – Move to the next interest. Do that for 30 days.

Despite what career lore suggests, specialization is not the only way to success. You are more than one thing. People who can do anything they want from 37 to 107 are typically really good at more than one thing. They are irreplaceable.

A master in animation is called an “animator.” A master in animation and storytelling is called “amazing.” A master of animation and storytelling and business is called “Pixar.”

Be Pixar.

3. Passion

By caring about what you do, you are already ahead of 75% of the people you will work with.

Here’s the funny thing about caring  —  it’s a domino.

Don’t know the answer? If you care, you will find it.

Make a mistake? If you care, you can fix it.

Don’t like how your team does business? If you care, you can change it.

Passion is derived from a massive amount of action based on an interest. You typically don’t just wake up and have it.

Build a passion for something and keep it burning. The career/money/people to help you will come.

4. People

The people you surround yourself with build your habits, your mindset, and your values  —  directly or indirectly.

– Be around people smarter than you.  Learn what they know.

– Be around people richer than you . Figure out how they did it. – Be around people braver than you. Courage is contagious. – Be around people older than you. Perspective is irreplaceable.

All of these have the underlying effect of humility. With a dose of humility and the right people, you will be unstoppable.

5. Fun

Try something for me.

Exhale for as long as you can, and then try to walk around before taking another breath.

Spoiler alert: You won’t be able to do it.

The 24/7 hustle thing is a myth. Even if you’re doing something you love an hour a day for 20 years, the momentum and consistency you build from that will be enough for a great career.

Fun is dull without work. But work is abysmal without fun. Humans were made to balance both.

6. Creativity

I don’t know if you noticed, but machines are kind of taking over the world.

Why buy a person when you can buy a robot? Robots can do everything cheaply, perfectly, and endlessly.

Here’s what people uniquely offer (for now):

Ideas

There are three steps to infinite ideas:

1 .  Find problems everywhere.

2 .  Find solutions everywhere. 3 .  Connect as many as possible.

You are a digital native. This means you have a completely different mindset when it comes to what can be done.

Show us what is possible.

Show us your world.

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