Letter to my Younger self

Dear Younger Me,

Thank you for being you – You have made it possible for me to be me.

Remember that you cannot make a difference – unless you are different.

Embrace your African heritage and enjoy the ethnic diversity of your London upbringing. Never betray your own values just to fit in. Don’t be quick to follow the crowd. If you follow the crowd, you will always get lost in them. Remember your parents are from the royal Ashanti tribe – so African royalty is in your DNA – Therefore always stay regal and classy in classless situations.

You are not for everybody and that is a blessing. You are a rare find, so go where you are celebrated not merely tolerated. Take control and embrace the narrative that’s in your life – Your ethnicity is your trusted ally.

Have faith in your uniqueness. Faith is trusting in advance, what will only make sense in reverse.

Young boy, you will come across many challenges in life. Remember, life is learning. Stay confident. You have the birthright of confidence. Nothing is impossible – the word itself says ‘I’m possible’.

What you are going through – You will get through!

Appreciate the very moment that you are in right now. Make sure you’re living not just existing. Eat life.

Whenever things don’t go as well as you thought they would, remember – You didn’t take a loss – You took a lesson. You will improve with time, practice, and patience.

Aspire not merely to have more, but to be more. In other words, always tell yourself that ‘You haven’t come this far to only come this far’. You have phenomenal potential. Don’t allow anything to pollute your potential.

Please do not worry if everybody doesn’t understand or support your dreams. With time, you will learn that you can’t fit big dreams in small minds. Envy is the tax which all distinction must pay. Get used to paying this tax.

Continue to practice and improve your English language and writing skills. Think on paper. One day you will use it to help humanity. You will be an author.

Keep in mind that the world is a university and everyone’s a teacher. You can learn something from everybody. Respect every race, culture, and point of view that you come across. Be kind wherever possible.

As mentioned, ‘respect’ is key, but be balanced. Too much respect for other people’s wisdom can make you depreciate your own.

Never let your expectation get higher than your gratitude. There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way. So, enjoy your way through school and through life as much as you can.

You are a thinker and that’s fantastic. Try not to overthink and overexplain. Demonstration is better than conversation. Keep this saying in your mind to help you make quicker decisions: ‘No paralysis through analysis’.

Make a commitment to truth. Be as good as your word. If you say you are going to do something – do it. This will put you in a class of only a few, but you will respect yourself in a wonderful way.

Understand this: The most important skill in life that you can ever master is ADAPTABILTY. Adopt the adaptability trait so that you can survive and thrive in any circle, ethnic group, culture, or country. Adaptability will also help you to continue to reinvent yourself as you go through the various seasons of life.

Finally, my boy, don’t be afraid of making mistakes. The person who never made a mistake, never made anything.

Warmest love and appreciation,

Your Future Self – Sam Kusi.