At the end of (nearly) every changemaker interview, I ask the same question: “If you could travel back in time and give your teenage self a piece of advice, what would that be? Is that the same advice you’d give me now?”
The answers have been both inspiring and instructive.
Below are some of the responses from my most recent interview subjects. (You can read responses from earlier posts in Advice from Changemakers - Part 1.
Katharine Mieszkowski - Investigative Journalist
I would tell you (and my younger self) that a career trajectory is very rarely a straight line. Even very successful people often meander professionally. In a long career, at least some setbacks are all but inevitable. I know extremely accomplished people who have been abruptly fired or laid off from their dream jobs. No matter how hard you work or how talented you are, you can’t insulate yourself completely from some bad times, even if they’re just a function of the overall state of the economy. That being said, I would encourage you to really enjoy the high points when they come around! One of my happiest professional memories is standing on a street corner in the early morning literally jumping up and down when I saw my first byline in the (now defunct) San Francisco Bay Guardian, weekly newspaper. Relish all your firsts and successes.
Ron Jenkins - Theater Director and Scholar
I would tell myself not to be afraid to take risks that involve giving up security in the pursuit of the unknown. I did not take that advice until I was 20 and began taking risks like dropping out of college to study clowning in Mexico (without knowing Spanish), going to live for a year in an Indonesian village to study masked theater (without knowing Indonesian), and taking a break from graduate school to follow a clown around Italy, Dario Fo, who eventually won the Nobel Prize in Literature (without knowing Italian). Looking back on the last sentence I would also tell myself to spend more time learning languages, because when I finally did learn to speak Indonesian and Italian (my Spanish never progressed very far because the clowns I worked with there performed without words) new worlds of possibilities opened up that transformed the way I understood, practiced, wrote about and taught theater. And yes, I would give the same advice about language-learning to any seventeen-year-old today, but I wouldn't want to take responsibility for giving the advice about taking risks to leap into the unknown to anyone. That is advice you can only give to yourself when you feel the time is right.
Heejae Lim - CEO of TalkingPoints and Ted Fellow:
Experience a wide variety of things even though you might not necessarily see the why -- take time to broaden your horizons
Aleta Margolis - Founder of Center for Inspired Teaching
Keep your observation skills sharp. Pay attention and look for the learning opportunity in each experience you have. Even a job or course or internship that you don't enjoy has something to teach you about what you do/don't want in a work experience. Build relationships with peers, teachers, and others and don't be afraid to ask the people in your life to advise you, on issues large and small. Choose to spend your time doing things you love, and that feel important to you. And, at the same time, recognize that you can find things to love even in the midst of a class, or internship, or job that doesn't seem that exciting at first. Don't wait for great opportunities to come to you. Look closely at the opportunities around you; and practice creating meaningful opportunities for yourself.
Debbie Lum - Documentary Filmmaker
I don't really like to give teenagers advice. I feel like high school students get way too much advice. But I will say this: Ultimately, you just have to make your own decisions. You need to have confidence in your own decisions. That can be very hard when you're only 17 (which comes from a fear of failure, so you also need to know that it’s okay to fail). But again – no 17-year-old wants to hear that.
Jennifer Bennett - Restaurateur
I would say pay attention to your natural skills; the things that come naturally to you that others struggle to do. I was always a people pleaser- I liked to rub shoulders, braid hair, make cupcakes for the neighbors, pick flowers for my mom. I assumed I needed to find a "real job" with 9-5 hours and all that, but that didn't suit me at all. I think it's vital to listen to yourself, pay attention to what makes you smile and feel good about your day's work. There are so many ways to make a living now! You don't have to be a doctor, lawyer, or teacher to have a "career." And yes, that's the advice I'd give you. Now, mind you- especially when you're young- the thing you love might not make you much money. I'm thinking art/ music/pottery, whatever. It's totally legit to do another thing that pays your bills while pursuing the thing you love also. But respect that "other thing" (especially if it's waiting tables), because it allows you to do what you love.
Follow your passion, but be sure to have a skill that can allow you to earn money if that passion is in a field that may be uncertain of its ability to sustain a life. Personally, in addition to art, I also studied graphic design, which allowed me to support myself until I was able to spend more time as a painter. And even now I teach to support myself and give back.
Shariful Khan - Yale Law School Student and Community Organizer Things happen in ways you’d never expect. Trying to plan your life out can feel satisfying and might make you feel like you have some agency over what will happen, but stay open to possibilities and enjoy the different roads life takes you down. You never ever know where you’ll end up.
Ayesha Barenblat - Founder of Remake
When you are a teenager, you worry too much about other people’s perceptions. When you are older and have the luxury of time, you realize that everyone is just dealing with their own stuff. What matters is how you feel about you. I was a very angsty teenager. If I were to sit down with my teenage self, I would tell her that the best is yet to come. You’re going to be all right.
My advice to you? Know your power. You have so much power, even if you sometimes feel disempowered. The boomers left you guys with a hot mess, including a broken political system. As you come into power as activists, remember to have fun along the way. The future is yours to seize.
Be unafraid. Go, go, go. Risk yourself. You have time. Embrace the extraordinary.
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Top (left to right): Colum McCann, Aleta Margolis, Ron Jenkins |
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