What I would do if I went back to 21

It was 2015, the year I should’ve graduated with my mates. I had chosen the rebellious ‘drop out to follow your dreams’ path, and I was concerned about my (former) classmates seeing me jump taxis across town. So, I bought a car that almost took my life — literally and figuratively.

I was also in a relationship. And without her asking, I stretched myself to impress her and her family — far beyond my actual means. I repeat, nobody asked. But I needed to make a statement.

It didn’t work out, of course.

You can’t be 21 with 31 years of experience. But if it were somehow possible to go back, I would strip down the urge to impress, and instead lock in to build an impressive life.

I would know that going out of my way to impress early on — with money I didn’t really have — only stands in the way of that. Or at the very least, slows it down.

And so I’d focus entirely on the seeds instead: knowledge, reputation, goodwill, experience — which I did plant, but not as much as I now wish I had.