‘Five things I would tell my 18 year old self….”

I don’t have regrets. I have made many decisions in my life, not all of them the right ones but to sit around and regret the ones that didn’t go quite the way I had envisaged I just see as a total waste of life and time I could be spending on better things.

But why am I telling you this? What does this matter when I am trying to give my 18 year old self advice on life? Simple really. I can not wind back the clock and wish I had done things differently. I did things based on a  decision making process that to be honest I just liked the look of and worked for me.

So I am telling you these things because this is what my advice would be, has been and is for any 18 year olds I come across or for that matter a few years either side I think it is still applicable.

If any or all of the five below work for you no matter what your age and help you to get better at life then I consider our time spent together in this article, just perfect.

Challenge your body and mind: Our body is what we travel in and will do for the entire journey, first up keep it in the best possible shape you can by treating it well. But more than that challenge it and by doing so, challenge you mind. Put yourself in situations that scare the living daylights out of you both mentally and physically because it is these situations that have taught me so much about life.

Trust your gut: I used to (and still do sometimes) make super fast decisions on things ranging from unimportant to maybe sometimes life changing, I was doing it not knowing, but now I know more about ‘Gut Feelings’ that was what was happening I was trusting my gut and getting on with things, a tool I still use today 99% of the time. When something comes in front of you I can assure you the first feeling you get or decision you come to is normally the one you stick with. This system for life I find saves time and lets you move at speed which is always more fun.

Get a mentor: You can not make it on your own, no one can, trust me here. You have to always be ready to ask for help but that help has to come from people that you trust. So find that person and get them to mentor you, guide you and support you. In some situations you may need a mentor for your sport life, your business life, your family life, that’s also cool as remember you can not make it on your own. No one can.

Set goals: but before that, learn how to set them properly. I see way to many people wandering around aimlessly and then getting frustrated because they are no closer to the goal they don’t even have. It’s madness. My life is full of goals, big ones and very small ones. Some I work on infrequently and some daily. It’s the process that is the joy in achieving goals and its the attitude to this process that brings success. You have to be relentless, day in day out and be willing to work in your goals the whole time. Not many people can do this so if you can you will dominate.

Never forget where you came from: My parents and my wife have played and still play a huge role in my life. What my parents did for me and the way they continue to support me often just by asking questions or listening to me is the reason I live today. Couple that with the support I have from my wife day in day out (even though at times my ideas are crazy, challenges totally selfish and lifestyle somewhat radical) is the reason I am able to be. The thought of ever taking these three people for granted scares the hell out of me and I would hate anyone to make such a major mistake. So never forget where you came from and the people that help you along the way.

Just remember, we get one shot at this game, one set of play credits if you like. Understand what you were put here for and set out your rules of the game which is what you are going to live by. If some of mine can help you then thats totally awesome and I wish you all the very best.