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Dear Robby,
This is your older self. Your brother came up with the bright idea of getting a bunch of people to write letters to themselves and so, being his faithful servant, I write to you.
I have advice for you. You hate advice. The situation is, well, precarious at best. You tend to do the opposite of what people tell you to do. Bear in mind, I'm still as stubborn as anyone and even I can't argue with following the advice I give to you. It's good advice and you can take all the credit for it, because I am you etc etc.
1. Don't ever drink alcohol again. We end up wasting a good seven years of our lives trying to hang on to a habit that does nothing for us. You are going to have to trust me on this one.
2. Don't take up smoking. Very soon, most people your age will think it's dumb anyways.
3. Forget everyone but family. The friends you have now and will make in the future don't even stick around.
4. There's a few friends later on who technically are family. One is your wife. She doesn't show up until the end of high school.
5. Go to film school. Steal every piece of equipment you can. Don't get into writing scripts. Just get out there and film and edit.
6. Technology. Especially computers. Can't stress that enough. Huge. Draw your own conclusions.
7. Relax. If you don't, you'll be very unhappy.
8. Do better in school. Seriously. You're better than that.
9. The less you say, the better. Let other do the talking. Listen, learn and let other people talk.
10. You do just fine. House, pretty wife, nice car. You even make a bit of money from time to time. You don't need much more. In fact, if you try and get more, you might lose the stuff you have.
Look. I hate to say it, but you're 13 and you don't know shit. Don't get all pissy, fix it. Learn everything you can from every possible source. Then, toss all that learning out and figure out what real intelligence means. Shut your mouth, love the simple stuff, quit worrying and work as hard as you can without going nuts.
Oh, and everything is made up inside your head. Repeat it until you believe it, and sooner or later it becomes truth. The best thing you can do is repeat the positive stuff over and over. Life will provide enough negativity to balance you out.
Here are the key words:
Internet, 1999 stock crash, Rebecca S., Bridgewater, Masons, Graeme, Brothers, circles, web sites, digital video, family, experiment, unity, and patience.
Other than that, you take 2 jobs you swore you never would and don't get involved in gossip and lies. Try never to gossip or lie and your world will be much better.
Remember, shut up and listen. Vital information is there for the taking.
I won't spoil anything else for you. Surprises, even bad ones, are fun.
Bye,
Murk
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Again, opinions and ideas here are solely those of the writer and not of Third Option Media. Contact the writer if you are interested in discussing this article