The Narratives – Mohamed Miah

What advice would you give to your teenage self?

I wouldn’t change anything. The mistakes, the losses, the moments of doubt—they all had something to teach. But if I could sit with my younger self, I’d tell him a few things. Not to rewrite the past, but to help him carry it better.

Be respectful, even when it’s hard. You’ll realise as you get older that holding your tongue, choosing patience, and knowing when to apologise take far more strength than shouting the loudest. Saying sorry isn’t weakness—it’s maturity, it’s self-awareness, and it’s the mark of someone who’s in control of themselves. Being loud, stubborn, and refusing to back down when you’re wrong doesn’t make you a man—it makes you a fool. Strength isn’t in overpowering others, it’s in owning your mistakes, learning from them, and being someone others can trust to do what’s right, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Listen to your parents. Even when it feels like they don’t get it. Even when you think they’re wrong. Their words aren’t just advice—they’re pieces of a road they’ve already walked. One day, those same words will come back to you, and they’ll make sense in a way they never did before. By then, you’ll wish you had listened more.

Not everyone is meant to stay in your life. Some people will leave, some friendships will fade, and some relationships will fall apart. It won’t always be anyone’s fault. Let them go. Holding onto people who no longer align with you will only slow you down. The ones who are meant to be in your life will always find their way back.

Your emotions are real, but they aren’t always right. Anger, frustration, doubt—they come and go like waves. If you react to everything in the moment, you’ll regret it later. Give yourself time to breathe before making a decision. Some things don’t need a response. Some things just need space.

Take care of your body. Right now, it feels like nothing affects you—late nights, junk food, skipping meals—but it all adds up. How you treat yourself now will follow you for years. Don’t wait until you feel the effects to start taking care of yourself.

You’re not dumb—you just get distracted. Your mind moves fast, jumping from one thing to another, and sometimes that makes you feel like you’re falling behind or not good enough. But the truth is, you’re actually very clever. You see patterns others don’t, you think deeply, and you understand things in a way that most people never will. The key isn’t intelligence—it’s organising your thoughts. When you can focus, when you can structure your ideas, that’s when your potential unlocks. You haven’t hit your peak yet, not even close. Give yourself time, learn how to manage your mind, and watch how far you can go.

Learn the discipline of sleep early, because it’s not just about feeling rested—it’s about protecting your mind. When you’re young, you think you can get by on a few hours, but over time, lack of sleep wears you down in ways you don’t notice until it’s too late. It makes you short-tempered, scatters your focus, and turns small problems into big ones. Your brain needs sleep to reset, to process, to keep you steady. Treat it like a priority, not an afterthought. The better you sleep, the better you handle everything else.

Be kinder to yourself. You’re going to make mistakes, say the wrong things, take the wrong turns—it’s part of growing, not a reason to tear yourself down. Stop holding yourself to impossible standards and punishing yourself for not getting everything right the first time. You wouldn’t speak to a friend the way you speak to yourself in your worst moments, so why do it to yourself? Learn from your mistakes, but don’t let them define you. Growth takes time, and you’re allowed to be a work in progress. Give yourself the same patience and understanding you offer to others.

Faith will hold you together when nothing else makes sense. There will be moments when life feels overwhelming, when you don’t know where you’re going, when nothing seems to work out. Hold onto your faith. It will guide you through what you can’t yet see. Money, success, even people will come and go—but faith will always be there.

And don’t be in such a rush to grow up. It feels like adulthood is some kind of finish line, but it’s just another chapter. There will come a time when you look back and miss the simplicity of these years, even the ones that felt impossible while you were living them. Slow down. Take life as it comes. It will all make sense in the end.