As we age, we change in so many ways, and yet in others, we stay exactly the same.
This week marks 36 years since my first front-page byline. It’s a long time ago but when I look at that image, I still feel as proud as I did when it was hot off the presses.
I was so lucky that out of college, a mere teenager, I was able to join my local paper as a trainee reporter. Writing unlocked the door to the world.
Since those heady days, I have written for newspapers and magazines in the UK, Australia and the States, optioned screenplays, published a memoir, ghostwritten other people’s books and so much more.
It’s not always been an easy career path but when I look at that front page it makes me happy for that wide-eyed cub reporter who had big ambitions, a bucket load of curiosity and a love of words. It was a big win.
And in turn - and this has surprised me - it’s inspired this older, more world-worn version of myself.
Because unbelievably, that wide-eyed teenager is still very much alive and kicking.
The casing might be a little raggedy, and there are a lot of miles on the clock, but the hopes and dreams still burn inside.
And the ideas are still percolating.
That’s why I continue to write.
I know this post is cheesier than a croque monsieur on a day trip to Cheddar but I don’t care. There’s something in this, trust me. So why not join me in this cheese-fest and check in with your younger self?
They might inspire you.
In fact, I know they will.
Lisa