A Word To The Young

So this is a message this morning for the young. You older people can eavesdrop if you want.

Be very careful what you do growing up.

Here's the thing: your past follows you around forever. Sometimes in ways and places you cannot possibly imagine.

We all do stupid things. We all go a little temporarily insane. It's okay, it's just part of growing up. The question you have to ask yourself - before you actually go anywhere to do these things - is "What is this going to mean 20 years from now?" Temporarily insane - like, let's say, dressing up and travelling to your local shopping metropolis looking like a rock group from the sixties may be okay. Drinking yourself under the table because it feels good and "Lord knows, you're incredibly funny when you drink" while a camera is in the vicinity is probably not.

Trust me on this - 40 year old you will not think as charitably on the stupid things as 20 year old you did. And, it undercuts a lot of what you might hope to do later in life. That image you carefully try to craft can be completely undone by something that happened one brief moment in time, 20 years ago.

Be smart. Plan. What do you really want to do with your life, not just how do you want to enjoy your life right now?