Adam (‘Gilly’) Gilchrist was one of the most exciting cricketers of his generation and is widely regarded as the greatest wicket-keeper–batsman in the history of the game. He grew up in Lismore, New South Wales, and now lives in Perth. He played in ninety-six Tests for Australia between 1999 and 2008, and is a former chair of the National Australia Day Council.

Dear Adam,

Welcome to the teenage years. The good stuff is about to begin. But before you read any further, go and have a music lesson. Don’t care what instrument, but please learn to play something, and keep at it, well into adulthood. Good.

I can understand you may feel the next few years of your life are pretty daunting. Many of a similar age also see it that way. It doesn’t have to be, I promise.

It’s all in your attitude. You see, attitudes are contagious and every day you should ask yourself the question, ‘Is your attitude worth catching?’ From the moment you wake up, to whatever it is you are doing throughout each day, it’s your attitude that will either make it a good experience or a crap one. How you think is how you’ll feel is how you’ll act. Say this over a few times, slowly in your mind. It makes sense and it will help you learn a great deal, even when you least expect it.

On a different note, what about all the different-looking kids around at the moment? All the changing body shapes, some tall, some still short. Fatter, thinner, darker, lighter. And some of the clothing choices kids are making! Through choice or custom, whatever the case, they don’t look normal, do they?

Well, mate, let me give you a tip: there is no such thing as normal. There is no set mould. There are 7 billion of us and we are all different. That’s what makes it all so interesting.

There will be kids you cross paths with who have differing interests to yours. Different tastes or points of view. Don’t bag them out. Don’t tease them or make fun of them in front of others or, even worse, behind their back. Just remember, whatever you are doing to others, someone else could be doing to you, so either make it positive or leave them alone to enjoy their time. It’s called respect. Always be respectful. It can be easy to forget this, but try hard.

Remember a few years back, when playing your dad in a game of chess you ‘stole’ his queen off the board whilst he was out of the room getting a drink. Pretty silly idea, eh, as he noticed straight away and asked if you pinched it, and foolishly you said, ‘No, no, I legally took it in the match earlier.’ Wasn’t worth it, was it? Dad hated making you pack away your sporting gear and banning you from sport until you confessed the truth, but he had to teach you that it’s not cool to steal or cheat. I guess it was only a game of chess, but mate, we make a lot of decisions every day, and we all hope to make more good decisions than bad ones. A good way to achieve this is always think what effect on others your actions will have. Before you say something, think about whether it will offend someone else. Respect.

Finally, don’t carry around a backpack that is overloaded and too heavy for you. It will cause long-term damage to your spine that may take quite a while to get better. In fact, whilst on that subject, don’t carry an overloaded mind around too long either. If there is something bugging you, talk about it. Something you don’t understand? Ask. A fear? Discuss it and formulate a plan. Always communicate. This is so important in every aspect of your life ahead. Talk, type, write, sing, whatever. Just please communicate. Because like your back and neck from the heavy backpack, the mind and heart can be seriously damaged if overloaded for too long and can take a long time to heal. Communicate. Often the issue you see as a big deal is no issue at all, but until you talk to someone about it, you’ll never know.

So have fun, buddy, because if it ain’t fun, it ain’t worth doing. Even the long, boring subjects at school can be fun if taken on with the right attitude. Read lots, exercise just as much. Laugh at yourself, it’s good for the soul.

You’ve got it all ahead of you, such an exciting journey, a successful journey, if approached with the right attitude, with respect and if you consistently communicate with those around you.

Oh, did I mention learning music? Let’s face it … Rockstars are cool!!

With love,

Adam