Dear Dan,

I’m sat here in my bedroom writing this on my 28th birthday. I know you’re 18 years old, about to go to university, not knowing what to expect, what you’re going to do with your life but don’t be scared, go to university and face every challenge head on, stay focused and achieve your dreams.

Believe

Anything is possible Dan, one thing I’ve learnt over 28 years is that whatever you want to do, you can do it. If you want to learn guitar, learn another language, write a best selling book or run a marathon, it’s possible. I recently lost six stone in 10 months because I believed it was possible. If you go through life with this mentality you’re bound to succeed. It’s all about thinking positively.

Break Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Another thing, break out of your comfort zone. If you wake up at the same time everyday, sit at your work desk doing the same thing, go home, eat dinner and then sleep and you do this day in, day out, you’re likely to start feeling down and most likely suffer a form of depression or anxiety.

If you go to work and think, what can I do that will challenge myself today, you’ll start opening new doors and windows of opportunity, you would have never experienced beforehand. I recently organised a raffle as part of my London Marathon fundraising, I had to go into stores and ask if they’d like to offer me a raffle prize. Of course I wasn’t comfortable but I learnt from it and each time I visited a store, I came feeling more and more confident. I’ve taken up running too, this has made me feel a lot more confident, I would never thought I’d run a marathon 10 years ago.

Be Different

As humans we follow each other like a tribe, we’re constantly being told what we should do, wear, say and eat. Break free from this, be yourself. As a runner myself, I get up early every Saturday and run a 15 mile or more run. On a Sunday I’m one of 10 cars on the road heading to the gym whilst everyone’s tucked up in bed recovering from a hangover from the night before. This is what I mean by being different, don’t let anyone tell you what you should or shouldn’t be doing.

Yours Faithfully

Dan Jones

(The 28 Year Old Version)

PS Happy Birthday To Me!