“A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason, to always be busy with something, and to know how to demand with all his might that which he desires.” — Paulo Coelho

Last week, I was asked to be involved on the final day at London’s Google Campus of a two week accelerator program, which aims to turn teenagers passionate about coding into tech entrepreneurs.

I spoke for nearly half an hour about the power of ideas and how they could communicate their ideas with impact ahead of an afternoon of pitching to an established community of tech entrepreneurs and investors.

While the feedback received on social media and email was incredible with many finding it super inspiring, I’ve got to be honest with you…I was just as inspired by what I had seen that morning and how these ‘kids’ were spending their summer holidays.

The positivity and energy in the room was just infectious and you couldn’t help but admire and applaud what these teenagers were doing.

In just two weeks, their self confidence had grown, they had heard from some of London’s most recognised tech entrepreneurs and they had pitched to people, some of whom were 3 times their age!

These teenagers had taught me a few things from my short time with them, namely:

Be fearless. They feared nothing and were so excited to get up on the stage later that afternoon to present to a packed room of people. Their mindset was more ‘What can we do to make this amazing’ than ‘Why do we have to do this? I’ve never done this before’.

They feared nothing and were so excited to get up on the stage later that afternoon to present to a packed room of people. Their mindset was more ‘What can we do to make this amazing’ than ‘Why do we have to do this? I’ve never done this before’. Believe in yourself. One of the biggest differences between successful and unsuccessful people isn’t a question of knowledge or resources. It’s the belief that they can make things happen. One of the teenagers even said to me “I’m ready for some investment so I can scale this to have an impact on a grander scale. What’s the best way to increase my chances?” Talk about thinking BIG!

One of the biggest differences between successful and unsuccessful people isn’t a question of knowledge or resources. It’s the belief that they can make things happen. One of the teenagers even said to me “I’m ready for some investment so I can scale this to have an impact on a grander scale. What’s the best way to increase my chances?” Talk about thinking BIG! Use more of your imagination. Look around you. Nearly everything that we see/use/experience began life as an idea or a thought in someone’s imagination. These teenagers were using their brains like a Google search engine during their time on the accelerator and discovering just how creative they can be.

Look around you. Nearly everything that we see/use/experience began life as an idea or a thought in someone’s imagination. These teenagers were using their brains like a Google search engine during their time on the accelerator and discovering just how creative they can be. Don’t let qualifications define you. These teenagers have not gone through university yet. And they certainly haven’t achieved an MBA at a prestigious business school. However, they aren’t thinking ‘I need to get this qualification first before I can do ……..’ They’re following their curiosities. They’re learning, applying, failing and learning from that some more. Most importantly, they’re taking action and who knows where that will lead them in the coming months and years!

These teenagers have not gone through university yet. And they certainly haven’t achieved an MBA at a prestigious business school. However, they aren’t thinking ‘I need to get this qualification first before I can do ……..’ They’re following their curiosities. They’re learning, applying, failing and learning from that some more. Most importantly, they’re taking action and who knows where that will lead them in the coming months and years! Ask lots of questions. No one knows everything and if you don’t ask, you’ll never know for sure. At the end of my talk, there were plenty of hands raised with questions ready to throw my way. Sometimes, asking the right question can be what you need to move things to the next level. Don’t be afraid of looking stupid. We were all beginners at something once.

What interesting lessons have ‘kids’ taught you recently?