Ten Things I'd Tell my Younger Self...
Jul. 2nd, 2007 09:36 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nyykiFrom Flaming Sword's journal...
Ten things I'd tell my 16 year old self.
1. Don't go to College. Mom and Dad's rules aren't reasonable, and what you want to study in computer science isn't even taught in universities yet anyway. Work, learn what you want out of life, and then go back.
2. Yes, I'm really you from the future. Things like this do happen some times, and it's important to take them seriously.
3. Bryan is a sociopath. He's going to get himself in some really serious trouble pretty soon, and he's going to keep doing it. Distance yourself from your brother because he's good at getting his messes on other people. And don't introduce him to your friends, especially female ones, because he'll date them and then when they break it off with him you'll lose them as friends.
4. You're different. That's okay. Find out all you can about things and deal with them now instead of facing the delay you'd face otherwise. Talk with Mom and Dad about it and get some therapy to deal with it so you can reach your destination much faster.
5. Mom and Dad don't have a marriage, they have a business partnership. That partnership is disolving, so stay out of the fallout zone. That explains a lot of why they're always getting cranky and taking stupid things out on you and your sibs.
6. Sex is a big deal. No one you know knows much about it, because they haven't experienced the real deal yet. Don't worry about it, it'll happen, and when it does, take it for what it is, not some big magical thing.
7. Mitch is a pathological liar who has no choice but to lie, and this relationship will break your heart. You'll get involved with Mitch again, and it will break your heart again. Don't shy away from the relationship, but be a bit more wary, as this relationship is a big one.
8. Learn the spellings of all seventh chords so that you can reel them off instantly. Learn how ii-V7-I progressions work. Learn Blues and bebop scales. Take up the Piano immediately, and get good at it. And listen to lots of Miles Davis, Astrud Gilberto, John Coltrane, Urbie Green, and anything else you can get your hands on so that you can develop your chops. Finally, Synthesizers ARE a big deal, and start learning all you can about them now.
9. You're an extrovert. You don't realize it yet, but people are important to you. Cultivate friendships and keep them, as they're worth it to you, as you get energy from other people.
10. There's a lot more out there than you realize in the spiritual realm, and books don't have the answers. Look around you for answers, and contrary to advice point 1, you need to go to college at least for a couple of semesters to meet some important people who will take you in a different direction. Take core classes, and don't let your lovelife ruin your GPA. Also, don't let the really good pizza place entice you into spending everything you've got on frivilous things. That's not the music school you want to go to anyway, no matter how great its reputation is, and you need to be there but not crash and burn there.
Ten things I'd tell my 16 year old self.
1. Don't go to College. Mom and Dad's rules aren't reasonable, and what you want to study in computer science isn't even taught in universities yet anyway. Work, learn what you want out of life, and then go back.
2. Yes, I'm really you from the future. Things like this do happen some times, and it's important to take them seriously.
3. Bryan is a sociopath. He's going to get himself in some really serious trouble pretty soon, and he's going to keep doing it. Distance yourself from your brother because he's good at getting his messes on other people. And don't introduce him to your friends, especially female ones, because he'll date them and then when they break it off with him you'll lose them as friends.
4. You're different. That's okay. Find out all you can about things and deal with them now instead of facing the delay you'd face otherwise. Talk with Mom and Dad about it and get some therapy to deal with it so you can reach your destination much faster.
5. Mom and Dad don't have a marriage, they have a business partnership. That partnership is disolving, so stay out of the fallout zone. That explains a lot of why they're always getting cranky and taking stupid things out on you and your sibs.
6. Sex is a big deal. No one you know knows much about it, because they haven't experienced the real deal yet. Don't worry about it, it'll happen, and when it does, take it for what it is, not some big magical thing.
7. Mitch is a pathological liar who has no choice but to lie, and this relationship will break your heart. You'll get involved with Mitch again, and it will break your heart again. Don't shy away from the relationship, but be a bit more wary, as this relationship is a big one.
8. Learn the spellings of all seventh chords so that you can reel them off instantly. Learn how ii-V7-I progressions work. Learn Blues and bebop scales. Take up the Piano immediately, and get good at it. And listen to lots of Miles Davis, Astrud Gilberto, John Coltrane, Urbie Green, and anything else you can get your hands on so that you can develop your chops. Finally, Synthesizers ARE a big deal, and start learning all you can about them now.
9. You're an extrovert. You don't realize it yet, but people are important to you. Cultivate friendships and keep them, as they're worth it to you, as you get energy from other people.
10. There's a lot more out there than you realize in the spiritual realm, and books don't have the answers. Look around you for answers, and contrary to advice point 1, you need to go to college at least for a couple of semesters to meet some important people who will take you in a different direction. Take core classes, and don't let your lovelife ruin your GPA. Also, don't let the really good pizza place entice you into spending everything you've got on frivilous things. That's not the music school you want to go to anyway, no matter how great its reputation is, and you need to be there but not crash and burn there.
