Young People and the General Election, by a young person.

There has been a lot of focus in the build up to May’s election about young people and encouraging them to vote. I am a young person (at 22 I’m slightly clinging on to the title, nonetheless I’m just about there) and for the first time, I will be voting for who runs the country, although I’m currently undecided. However, I can see why a lot of young people might not want to vote.

I don’t want to vote for someone who is a lesser evil, or “not as bad as that guy.” I want to vote for a leader. I want to vote for someone who inspires me, someone who I can trust is working for my future and not his or her own. This is something I believe the country is lacking.

There is a huge gap between power and leadership. Power can be obtained through many means, not all of them desirable – corruption and lies not the least. Leadership though, is a quality that takes years and years of refining.

Our leaders might be well educated, they might have the most prestigious qualifications and know everything there is to know about politics. While knowledge is undoubtedly important, the skill of leadership is something entirely different.

A leader, a true leader, forgets their own agenda. They forget their own desires and they fight for the cause and the welfare of those following them. Modern day politicians do not fit this billing. They claim to, yes, because that will win them votes.

If they were truly working for the average person, why has the general populace become so disenchanted with our entire political system and those who claim to have our interests at heart?

This is even more so the case with young people, who have grown up being taught, in many cases, that politicians cannot be trusted. Stories in the media have fed this lesson and so young people who are now of age to vote, do not wish to do so. Who can blame them?

I truly believe every young person (well, every person) should vote. The problem is, I believe the options we have are simply not good enough. I've heard it said many times that those in positions of power are often those who shouldn't have that power. If we look at our political leaders – there aren't many I think that doesn't apply to.

A shake up in our system is needed. If we want young people to get passionate about politics, we need those who claim power to deserve it and to give us something to believe in.

This is my challenge to our would-be PMs – make us believe in you. Don’t feed us promises to get you into number 10. Be honest, be transparent and give us a real reason to vote. Lead, and the young people will follow.

Will you be voting? Why/why not? Let me know below.

31 lessons I've learned - and a message for those struggling

Life is full of lessons. Some we learn automatically, as we grow. Some, we learn without even realising. And some, as unfortunate as this is, we only learn through adversity and suffering. Here are the lessons I've learned over the past 2 years, from good and bad experiences.

1) Life is hard. It's supposed to be. Challenges and adversity are what drive us to improve and better ourselves. Embrace it, or you'll be miserable for the rest of your life.

2) It's not fair either. It'd be nice if the hardest workers got the richest rewards. Sadly, that's not always the case. The sooner you accept that, the happier you'll be. 

3) Your mind can dictate your mood. You can decide what kind of day you're going to have. Stop thinking "it's going to be one of those days," It's only one of those days when you decide it's one of those days.

4) Fear is good. Fear means you have something to lose. If you have something to lose, you have something to live and fight for. Welcome fear as part of your life but don't let it overwhelm you.

5) Courage is not the absence of fear. As wise old Ned Stark said (in different phrasing probably): "You can only be brave when you're afraid." Being scared and being brave go hand in hand. Again - embrace fear.

6) Those with the least are often the most willing to help. Being on the streets helped me to see that often the people with the least to give are those who are the most willing to give. Don't look down on those with less than you - if you lose it all, they'll be the ones offering a hand. 

7) We're all human. Black, white, Christian, Muslim, homeless, wealthy, obese, skinny, shy, outgoing. It doesn't matter, we all come under one banner: human. Others are your equals, treat them that way.

8) No one lives forever. Make the most of the people around you and remember to thank them for what they do. No one gets to the top alone. And if you do - it's awfully lonely there. 

9) Challenge yourself. No one ever got anywhere by staying in the comfort zone. Don't stick to what you know. Challenge yourself to venture into the unknown. No one will force you. It's up to you.

Me. Out of my comfort zone, in front of hundreds of people.

10) Work hard. It's extremely rare for anyone to be able to go through life without any effort. Any examples I've seen have never been as happy as those who work their fingers to the bone to get where they are. A secret - for a few years at school I was way behind everyone else. I got ahead through sheer graft and positive work ethic. Some might even go as far as to say I'm faintly intelligent now. 

11) Play hard. We all need to work to get anywhere in life. But don't forget what it's like to be a kid. We all say we miss it. So be a kid. Play games, climb a tree, build a den, do whatever you did when you were a kid. It'll make you smile,

12) Attitude is everything. The glass IS half full. If you think it's half empty, find a smaller glass. Then it's completely full. I'm a realist with an optimist's attitude. 

13) Family means family. They won't be there forever. I'm guilty of not appreciating mine enough. I love my family, even when they irritate the hell out of me. I wouldn't change them for anything. 

14) Be polite. Chivalry isn't chivalry if it's only to those we find attractive. Manners can make someone's day. And it's so damn easy! Much less effort than being rude.

15) Do what you love. Life is too short to be doing things we don't want to do. Yes, sometimes it is necessary. But, in general, do what you want to do. If you're going to spend your life doing something, you might as well enjoy it.

16) Be a dreamer. I want to travel the world playing poker in major tournaments. I want the glamorous lifestyle of a poker pro. High roller suites, the best parties around, lots of money to be won. Nothing wrong with dreaming, however unlikely it may seem.

17) Open your eyes. See what is around you. Don't live life in such a rush that you don't notice the world. Take off those blinkers and look around in wonder.

18) Appreciate beauty. Forget the news. Forget the wars, forget the suffering, forget everything. Look for yourself - there might be suffering. But there's so much more beauty.

19) Never stop learning. No one will ever know everything. But take every chance to learn something new. Not only does it make you look intelligent, it also makes you more aware of the world. That can only ever be a good thing. 

20) Take every opportunity you can. Seen the film "Yes Man?" Don't go to that extent - but take every opportunity you can. We can read all the books we want but we only ever get better at something by doing it. It'll make you a much happier person, trust me.

21) Make opportunities. There can be no excuses for not making the most of life. There are always opportunities of some kind, but if you can't see any then it's simple - make some for yourself.

22) Smile. It genuinely has a placebo effect. Smiling releases endorphins which make us happy. Don't worry, be happy :) 

23) Stop feeling sorry for yourself. Things may be bad. But you have breath in your lungs so you have something to smile about. No problem was ever solved with self pity.

24) Stop taking life for granted. Life can be snatched away from you when you least expect it. If you were on your deathbed tomorrow would you be happy with how you lived your life?

25) Ask "why?" Remember when you were a kid and you annoyed your parents by repeatedly asking them why? You had it spot on. Why are you unhappy? Why are you happy? Why didn't you take that opportunity? Why did you? Why, why, why, why, why?

26) Ask "why not?" Always look for a reason to be positive about a situation. When someone asks you why you did something, ask them why not! If you get an opportunity...why not?

27) Don't be afraid to say hello. Meeting new people can be difficult for some people. All it takes is a hello. Go for it! You won't regret it :) 

28) Take as many people to the top with you as possible. The more, the merrier.

29) Give something back. It might seem like too much effort but give something back to those who have helped you. You don't have to donate your life savings to a charity but give your time to them, or to someone who needs it. You'd be amazed what it can do for yourself as well as them.

30) Be proud. Recognise your own achievements. Don't be afraid of being perceived as arrogant. You have every right to be proud of what you have achieved. Reward yourself but never stop trying to make yourself even more proud.

31) Don't live to impress others. There's only one person you need to please when it all comes down to it. That person is the one constant who will always be in your life, no matter what. That person is yourself.

These are all important lessons. But the one thing I've learned that will stick with me above all others is that life isn't about titles or glory or success. You might chase it and I certainly do but it's not about that. It's about people. It's about those you see around you every day. It's about the strangers in the same shop as you. It's about your brothers, your sisters, your parents, your grandparents and everyone they know. Life has no higher meaning. We can pretend it does but at the end of the day, it's all about being human.

To those struggling with adversity at the moment, I have a message. You're not alone. You may think you are because your brain has convinced you.

But you're not.

If you're facing a mountain, no mountain is truly insurmountable. Maybe no one has managed to as yet. Why don't you be the first?

Work towards a goal, however simple, and see your problems as mere obstacles in your way of achieving that goal. For those in that situation, I have one, all important piece of advice.

32) Never. Give. Up.

How a tin of beans helps me to speak to big audiences

Ahh, public speaking.

Some fear it, most hate it, but me? I can’t get enough of it. Being a Young Ambassador for The Prince’s Trust has given me plenty of opportunities to give speeches (not to mention sample some rather excellent food) and I take every chance I’m offered.

But a question I get asked a lot is: “How do you manage to speak to audiences that big? Don’t you get nervous?”

Of course I do. Anyone was close enough to me when I was speaking at the HR Distinction awards would have seen my hand shaking a scary amount.

But the ability to speak isn’t about not having those nerves, it’s the ability to control them and still deliver the message you want to send. In fact, the presence of nerves comforts me. Anyone who isn’t nervous before public speaking is either a superhuman or, more likely, somewhat arrogant of their ability.

So, what is the best way to cope? Some would tell you to imagine the audience naked.

No thank you.

When I’m about to go on stage and give a speech, the first thing I do is sit up very straight and pretend I’m someone extremely powerful. This gives me the illusion of power and therefore a bit of control over how I’m feeling. That sounds stupid but it really works for me so I don’t mind too much.

And then, I remember my audience is just like a tin of beans.

I don’t picture them all dressed as cans of Heinz*, that would be ridiculous and would put anyone off. No, I just look at the audience and realise that I can’t actually see any facial details. They’re all just a mesh of unidentifiable beings all gathered closely. They’re all beans in a can, that’s it.

Now, what is terrifying about talking to a tin of beans? Unless you’re an outsider watching someone actually talking to a tin of tomatoey beany goodness of course. That'd freak me out no end.

It works for me. It makes me more comfortable in front of a crowd. Maybe I’m just a bit crazy but why not give it a go yourself next time you speak?

Remember:

Audience = tin of beans

I’d be fascinated to hear how other people manage with public speaking. Do you have a unique (and slightly less crackpot than mine, I imagine) way of preparing for a speech? Let me know in the comments J

*Other, similarly excellent, brands of beans are available

Why we're not the 'lost' generation

I’ve seen a few articles floating about over the past year or so referring to my age group and those a little younger as the ‘lost generation.’

Ahem.

Now, obviously I respect the opinions of others, what with me being a half decent human being with a fairly accurate moral compass.

However, the term ‘lost generation’ causes a teeny-weeny crack to appear in my usual composed, respectful and dignified self. I’ve largely kept quiet and got on with what I do but now I feel I should air my frustrations.

Young people, such as myself (just about), make mistakes. We do that. It’s part of being young. Our parents probably made similar mistakes at our age. As did our grandparents. Of course, the situation is different these days and some of my peers’ actions have been less than optimal in terms of decision making.

But before giving us up as a ‘lost’ cause, let’s have a quick scan over some facts:

Our generation have inherited a world of austerity, unemployment and limited opportunity. A world where the rich get richer and the poor, let’s be blunt, kind of get trampled into the dirt.

Despite how the media and our government would portray us, we’re actually (mostly) quite a good bunch of people. Sure, there are some cretinous individuals (-cough- Justin Bieber -cough-), but this is the same as any other generation. Overall, we’re not so bad. Our mistakes are more intensely scrutinised because news (and rumour and prejudice, it is worth pointing out) is so easily visible as a result of the growth of social media.

Let’s take a look at the riots a couple of years ago. I’m not condoning the actions of those involved. They further damaged an already tarnished reputation of young people with mindless acts of greed and criminality that will be remembered for years to come.

But why did it happen?

I saw quotes from people involved mentioning that they were bored angry and frustrated.

We are not the ‘lost generation.’ We are the frustrated generation.

We’re frustrated that, through no fault of our own, we’re forced to struggle much harder than our parents to make something of ourselves and to succeed.

We’re frustrated because our politicians claim to want to help us, then lie to us to gain our vote in unjustifiable attempts to satisfy their lust for power.

But most of all, we’re frustrated that those same politicians have given up on us and labelled us as “lost,” while simultaneously claiming expenses for holiday homes in countries most from my background will never get the opportunity to visit to broaden their horizons.

Why should we, as young people, tolerate such poor and inaccurate prejudice?

How is slapping the ‘lost’ label on us going to benefit us and encourage us to be more than we’re expected to be in this ever toughening world?

Why are our voices not being heard as much as they could be? Why is it right for it to be assumed that because we’re young, we don’t know what we’re talking about?

Of course, it’s not all doom and gloom. Fantastic organisations, such as The Prince’s Trust, do amazing things for young people who need it.

But it’s not enough.

We are the future of this world. We are the people who will lead this country in whatever industry we find ourselves in. It’s time that those in positions of power, whether political power or in the media, have more faith in us and recognise that we are not lost and never will be. It’s time they recognise that we won’t ever accept such unjustified judgement from those who only try and help us if there’s a television crew and journalists there.

Most  of all, it’s time it was recognised that we deserve a whole lot more respect than is given.