David Seymour, millennial icon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
David Seymour, millennial icon. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Opinion
Does wisdom really come with age? Lillie Rohan asked five New Zealand high achievers to write a letter to their 25-year-old selves. Today Act Party leader David Seymour shares his advice on overcoming self-doubt, staying humble and taking chances.
One thing about being 25 is that you know you havemore tomorrows than yesterdays. No question. Nearly 40 is nearly half the Kiwi male life expectancy, and the answer gets less obvious.
Things that feel like yesterday happened a long time ago. Thirty years ago used to be some time in the 1970s. Soon thirty years ago will be 1993. You move from everything being a rehearsal to your choices and courses feeling more final. It creeps up on you.
A sure sign is when the Herald asks you to write a letter to your younger self. Here’s what I’d tell 25-year-old David.
Break through the barrier of doubt. Up until it happened, I (and everyone who knew me) thought I’d be the last person who could or should enter a televised dance contest. At 25, I’d helped deliver pamphlets for the Act Party, but I never thought I’d lead it.
Both experiences built my confidence in New Zealand.
A lot is said about its dark underbelly of tall poppy syndrome, but if you be yourself and back yourself, you’ll be surprised how many people will come out and back you too.
That certainly happened in Dancing with the Stars. People will support you for taking a chance if you work hard at it. I know I was the worst dancer, but I did learn all my steps and do them (mostly) at the right times. I was kept in the show by an army of teenagers texting DAVID to 3333 because we all want to believe we can beat the odds.
"People will support you for taking a chance if you work hard at it," says David Seymour on his time on Dancing with the Stars. Photo / Supplied
The same with politics. It’s easy to think the odds are impossible, I’ve felt that many times. I’ve been astonished at the kindness people show to make my career possible. But it’s only possible if you break through the doubt first.
The relationship matters more than the transaction. If you think short term, you won’t build lasting relationships. The more you give to people, the more they give back. People will often help you in ways you couldn’t have imagined, but only if you sincerely treat them right and help them too.
Changing gear a bit. Because education is funded by the taxpayer, educators often don’t think about the rest of the economy. They’re mostly allergic to making money by investing, they subtly cast ‘entrepreneur’ as a sinister word (I guess it is French). They’ll teach you to work hard and earn it, but they won’t tell you that every job requires investment for the business to exist in the first place, and every investment requires savings somewhere.
They’re right about the work part, but there is nothing wrong with saving and investing, it is a win-win and you should embrace it as early as possible. Understanding the sharemarket is (almost) as important to your long-term wellbeing as maths and physics.
Keep reading and keep travelling. Since I was 25, online media has made more information instantly available than a thousand Whangārei District Libraries. But reading takes you places you didn’t actively search for 3 seconds ago. It makes you imagine, to fill in the pictures. It makes you think about the characters as you create them in your mind - that’s empathy.
David Seymour at 25. Photo / Supplied
Literally going to other places, when you can, does something similar. If people over there have faced similar problems but found different solutions, then maybe we have more options than we realised here. Travelling and reading humble you and grow you at the same time, but they take more time than staying home on YouTube (although Act will have some excellent videos on there in the future).
Think hard about your values, and try your best to live by them. But also realise that those are two different and equally important projects. Speak well of others, take people as you find them, make the most of each situation, leave people and the planet better than you found them. You’ll never be perfect, but you should keep refining your values and striving to reach them even (especially) when you haven’t yet.
Nearly done, a morbid one. If someone is not well, go and see them. If you put it off, you may be too late forever (never fear if I come and visit you, it could be for lots of reasons).
Finally, try to be humble and kind. You don’t want the Prime Minister of New Zealand to call you an arrogant prick in the House of Representatives. If that does happen, get an apology then try to raise some money for charity.
David Seymour - now 39 - is a New Zealand politician serving as the Member of Parliament for Epsom and Leader of Act New Zealand since 2014.
