What would you say to your childhood self? 0-12 years?
“Be nicer to your sister”- Barbara, 62.
“Be true to yourself, don’t try to force change or be ‘cool’ for anyone”-Anonymous, 20.
“Allow yourself to be a child; there will be plenty of time to be a grown-up later”- Andrea, 44.
“Don’t believe those who say these are the best years of your life”- Rach, 40.
“Enjoy your childhood as it goes way to fast”- Liz, 32.
“Think independently. It’s okay to be alone and do things on your own”- Emily, 21.
“I think rationally I’d have attempted to explain to myself the fruition of commitment to things I enjoyed and focused my efforts instead of wasting time with non-productive hobbies that were malicious, wasteful or not really worth it”- Luke, 20.
“Keep a record of all memories either with photos or a diary. The brain forgets things as we get older”- Karen, 46.
“Don’t quit gymnastics”- Fiona, 35.
What would you say to your teenage self? 13-19 years?
“Aspire to be more. Follow your dreams”- Anonymous, 46.
“Stop worrying and overthinking things! It stresses you out more and won’t change how things turn out”- Sian, 20.
“Things work out, have faith”- Louise, 45.
“Save money! There’s a baby coming soon”- Ashleigh, 20.
“Work hard but also play hard. Go out and have fun, explore different places with your friends and family and start to make those amazing memories that will live with you forever”- Jess, 25.
“Have more confidence in yourself: you’ll look back on how you looked and wish you still looked like that! And appreciate your time with your grandparents, you’ll miss them every day when they’re gone”- Gatha, 22.
“Stay at school work hard, don’t smoke and don’t bother with boys”- Clare, 44.
“Start to save money. Cars, houses and holidays don’t come cheap. So the sooner you start saving, the more you’ll have to dip into when necessary. One other thing I strongly recommend is building good relationships with people. Be nice to people on your way up, because you might bump into them on your way down!”- Connah, 23.
“Make more memories. (Can I pass on all Grand National Winners of the future?)”- Michael, 45.
Would you change anything about your past?
“I would give myself the same importance I gave the people around me”- Nandini, 20.
“Stop worrying so much. Do what you want to do and don’t be a stranger to people. Also trust that everything turns out just fine, you have nothing to stress about”- Josie, 20.
“I wish I’d of used my younger years to take more risks. Every time I have stepped outside of my comfort zone it has led to progression of some sort, and has always paid off. Although I have pushed myself mentally, I wish I’d of stepped outside of my comfort zone more within the last few years and physically done more things. A risk is better than a ‘what if’. Time goes so quickly and before you know it you’re in your 20’s in the ‘real world’, grab every opportunity you can while you’re young, the scariest things in life are the ones that are most worth it in the end!”- Libby, 20.
“I’d not have given up on things so easily”- Anonymous, 44.
“Chase your dreams, sounds corny but you can either chase your own dreams, or get paid to chase somebody else’s” Connah, 23.
“Life changed for the better when you stop letting people walk all over you” Emily, 21.
“I always remained quiet hoping to seem invisible to bullies… they were cruel and I let them. It wasn’t until my late 20s, after having kids that I learned to speak up”- Marie, 32.
“Speak out on matters that don’t just effect me but what are important to the people around me”- Steph, 20.
“Check in with friends more. We talk a lot about mental well-being being now, but it wasn’t a thing when I was younger. School friends didn’t talk about their issues at the time, so I was unable to recognise that they were suffering in order to help”- Karen, 46.
“Don’t stick with the ‘in-group’ if they don’t make you feel good about yourself”- L, 56.
“Stand up more for the little guy at school because they deserved better”- Daniel, 21.
What would your younger self think of the person you are now?
“She would be proud! Coming from a working-class background I have always felt demotivated in education. I’ve had people mock me and tell me that I’d never be able to do a degree because of my background so the fact I’m now an English Language student makes me proud of myself for turning a blind eye to people’s pointless opinions”- Libby, 20.
“I think they would be proud of how far I have come but would want me to love myself more”- Liz, 32.
“They’d be proud. They might think I’m a bit boring but career and success-focused”- Anonymous, 20.
“Proud and sad at the same time.. being away from my homeland is not the dream future I imagined when I was young”- Burcu, 42.
“I think he’d think he turned into a pretty cool dude, he stuck to his guns, he found his voice when it mattered, And he matured into a loving person, adored by many a people for his sense of humour and his good heart, and that’s all that kid ever wanted”- Adam, 25.
“Probably a bit daft in the head”- Sarah, 40.
“Someone who enjoys life, a fun character”- Michael, 45.
“What a legend…”- Anonymous, 28.
“Wow… look at me! I have a degree and run my own business. I made a success of my life and the teachers were wrong”- Tracy, 53.
“Well that wasnt quite what you planned, but it all turned out good”- Anonymous, 48.