Former Black Cap captain Dion Nash on the advice he would give his younger self

Ex-Black Cap Dion Nash shares wisdom on staying present, being positive, and acting on potential. Photo / Babiche Martens

In the third of a four-part series where well-known New Zealanders write a letter to their younger selves, ex-Black Cap Dion Nash reflects on the person he was then, and how he is now.

Aside from the obvious advice like invest in Apple or Facebook, what wisdom might have helped me, had I known it earlier?

Well, something about enjoying the moment as often as you can, because “the moment”, it turns out, is the reward and the goal all rolled into one. Whatever comes later is just another moment, and if you are not present you will miss that one too. Staying present is hard, we are hardwired to plan ahead and to reflect on the past. But all the action is right here and now. The only thing you can affect, or impact is right here, right now. Being in the present is like taking the red pill in the Matrix. The present is the matrix and everything else is imagined. Staying present is a gift that can be learned, but you have to work at it.

My second piece of advice is “always take the weather with you”. This also means “be careful of the company you keep”. But anyone who has experienced the change in a room when the wrong mood enters it can attest people change parties, they change vibes and they impact other people’s moods, both for the better and worse. So make sure yours is on point. People love being around positive, vibrant, interested people. So be one.

Ex-Black Cap Dion Nash reflects on his younger self's rebellious nature, appreciating it for standing up for beliefs.

Finally, I would advise myself to aim big and act now. You have more potential than you will ever realise, but your window to express that potential is limited. So, aim big and get busy today, don’t wait. I would support this advice with the knowledge that the only thing you will really regret in life are the things you did not attempt. The shots you did not take. The questions you did not ask. The effort you did not make.

There is a great Charlie Brown cartoon where Linus says: “There is no heavier burden than great potential”. Action and effort are the only way to unload that burden before it weighs you down and other things get in the road.

The kicker in all of this, of course, is that knowing myself as I do, I very much doubt my younger self would have listened at all. Headstrong, idealistic and rebellious, the advice I give now, if taken up, would most likely be at the expense of these traits. So, I will end with some advice to my “now self”, the one that sits before this keyboard. Ease up on your younger self. Learn to love the guy who made all those rebellious and flawed decisions in the name of his ideals, perceived or real. Be proud of him for standing up for what he believed in. Accept that half of life is luck and timing and know all of it cannot run perfectly.

Dion Nash enjoyed a successful career as a cricketer before transitioning into business and other pursuits.

Embrace this, along with the knowledge that outside endorsement of your journey is meaningless and despite all the social media and societal norms celebrating the opposite. You are a success if you can look yourself in the mirror, be proud of the person you see, and have the energy to keep on having a go.

Oceania Healthcare donated $1000 to the National Foundation for Deaf and Hard of Hearing on behalf of Dion Nash to say thanks for sharing his story