david cameron's letter to his 16 yr old self

The Prime Minister explains how his father, older brother and travels in the Soviet Union shaped his world-view

I'd like to tell my 16-year-old self that it's better to try and fail than not to try at all. It makes you a stronger person. For a lot of young people, the idea that you shouldn't try at something because you might not succeed is pretty seductive.  I was no exception.  At school, there were some subjects, some sports, where I didn't always put the effort in - but instead just went through the motions, drifting along, rather than giving it everything.
I took my family for granted. If I could go back, I'd tell myself you don't know how lucky you are. A lot has been written about my background, but the great privilege of my upbringing wasn't just the wealth, it was the warmth. We all got on, we were all there for each other, there was so much love and support. I am not sure we all appreciated enough at the time. I know I get criticised for talking about how important families are to society, but I'm just saying it as I see it, as I experienced it. When you've got a strong family behind you, it makes it easier to cope with the things life throws at you.

I lived in the shadow of my older brother. He was three years older, went to the same school, and was a huge success, on the sports field and almost always lead actor in the school plays. It was great to have that kind of role model, and I was incredibly proud of him, but like many younger brothers you find yourself always a few steps behind. If I could give my younger self some advice, I'd say: don't worry about it; your life is not predetermined; you'll find your own feet in your own way. It was not until I left school that I felt I was breaking out of my brother's shadow and doing my own thing.

My dad had an amazing ability to always look on the bright side of life. He was disabled. He had short legs, not enough toes and no heels, yet he did everything with us - tennis, swimming, holidays, and was always the most tremendous fun. Because I grew up with him, I am not sure I even realised how amazing he was - if I was sixteen again, I'd tell him. His optimism was infectious. He always told me: no matter how bad things are you can overcome them if you have the right frame of mind. It was the perfect advice for a future politician. In a typical morning, you can wake up to being criticised on the radio, read bad headlines over breakfast and then get skewered in the House of Commons. But throughout it all, you've got to focus on the big picture, do the right thing and remain optimistic.

My travels to the Soviet Union were incredibly formative to my political worldview. When I was young I didn't care that much about politics, let alone have ambitions to be Prime Minister. I wasn't one of those people who mapped out their career on the back of an envelope. But my travels around the Eastern bloc after I left school had a massive impact on me. I will never forget the greyness of life under Communism, the lack of choice, freedom and expression. I began to develop a political consciousness, a sense of what was right and wrong. In particular, the importance of freedom and the state being there to serve people, not be their master.