You can be boxed in.
I think I was too quick to accept others’ rules in my early days – and it contributed to mistakes that could have been avoided if I had spoken out.
So when you see something that doesn’t feel right, challenge it – be bold. Take some chances – it is okay to pick up a few scars. Your world won’t collapse because one thing went wrong – though you may think it will. I’m telling you this because your world at 13 is a simple one. School, home, football, rugby. And crisps. So many crisps. Looking back, I wonder whether being a bit more angsty as a teenager might have helped – but that’s us isn’t is it? Stoic, head down, eyes on the prize. The idea of the Presbyterian work ethic might have been invented for us.
But it won’t be an asset forever. In fact, it will be a hurdle.