Hello my name is Josh, the older, smarter, better looking version of you and I wanted to say that you are a smart kid. You really make others laugh and bring light to the dark and peace to the war. Being the older version of you and looking back makes me feel that you are a one of a kind kid and you are special. Remember to always focus on yourself and don’t procrastinate. Something that I know now is, always focus on the important things in life because when you focus on trying to impress someone to be that ’’cool kid’’. With this information, you need to keep it in the back of your head because as you get older you will start to hang around the wrong people which could lead you to the wrong situations. Those situations will make you forget who you are and change your perspective on people. To avoid those situations you need to take a different path so you don’t end up in the office or even suspended or expelled. If you want to be the kid that excels in school and in sports then you should just remove yourself from that crowd and find your own crowd. Sometimes it takes some self control to make the better decisions and to be the better version of yourself. It’s ok if you want to fit in but don’t make any bad choices that could cost you your life, scholarship, any type of education, or life threatening decisions. Back when I was in elementary school, I wanted to be like them on how they acted but it just got me in trouble. So I always wanted to roll with the older kids to feel cool or fit in. I had a crowd of my own or a group of my own that I was able to go to. So that crowd or group was always in the back of my head just in case I do find myself in trouble and I can just go back to that. We were all young once and made bad choices but we can still reminisce and take all of that information to influence the younger ones that are in that same stage of life now. Nowadays, children get phones at young ages like 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and, and so on. When children receive phones at that young age, it can really change the way they think and feel. Social media for instance, it has influenced a lot of people including myself. I sometimes can’t get enough of my phone so I need to take some breaks. I got my very first phone at the age of 8. You probably think that that’s young right? Well it is and I had a phone that can only call, watch youtube, and play some 9 or younger games. Kids that receive phones at young ages are influenced by social media and others with that ability to have a phone are influenced too. We as older people need to lead by example. We need to be the leaders for the young ones to keep them out of trouble and we can do that by making stories or videos for some of them to read or listen to, to keep them on the right path. Also you should be yourself because being yourself is what makes a kid special and fun to be around. When you are yourself you start to feel happier and not always feeling like you have to fulfill this character or position. This is not only a letter to my past self but it’s a lesson that you and any other person around you should consider. That’s why you should always find your own path and ‘’BE YOURSELF’’ .
Joshua Nickerson – Chicago Hope Academy – DMSF Class of 2029
Photo Credit: AnnaStills – Adobe Stock