"I Want To Be a Footballer or a Youtuber."

Sunday was a last-minute decision. I wasn't even sure Skirmish Central was open but I popped down anyway.

It was.

Just a handful of airsofters had turned up. A few of the lads recognised me, we had a chat, and the mood was light hearted and enthused. Nobody was there to prove anything. Everyone just wanted to go out and have fun airsofting.

Alongside us was a party of around twelve kids, plus their parents. One of the parents was a teacher at their school.

Some of those kids recognised me straight away. The teacher told me they often talk about me in school. Then she told me what they all want to be when they grow up.

A footballer. Or a YouTuber.

She rolled her eyes.

So I offered to have a chat with them about it.

The first question, it's always the same...

The first thing they asked was how much money I make. Of course it was. I moved past that one quickly.

What I wanted them to understand is how lucky I am. I get to do something I love, and it is my job. That doesn't happen by accident, and it doesn't happen to everyone.

We live in a world where, if you can figure out how to get people's attention, you can share your passion with them. You can build that attention. And once you have built it, you can use it.

They asked how I get paid. So I told them. Google ad revenue. Facebook ads. Companies pay money to put their adverts in front of an audience, and the creator gets a small cut.

But this is the part I wanted them to really think about.

If companies are paying money to get in front of that attention, then the attention is worth more than the ad revenue. The ad money is the small cut. The attention is the real asset.

That is what I use.

I have built a business with my attention, selling ghillie suits around the world. I believe it is a great product. I believe it is the best solution for concealment, I believe in it, and it is used by professional soldiers all over the world as well as airsofters and hunters.

That is how you use attention. You plug your business into it.

Airsoft means more than a Sunday afternoon

The teacher asked me about my travels. So I told them about some of the amazing places airsoft has taken me.

To a group of kids at their local site, airsoft is a bit of fun on a Sunday afternoon. And it is. But around the world, airsoft means so much more to so many people than that. It is community. It is a pursuit. For some it is a way of life.

The thing they were about to go and do for a few hours could take them across the world, if they let it. And the same could be said for any passion they have.

The part very few YouTubers talks about

Kids need to be able to explore their passions. They need the confidence to express themselves.

But they also need to learn to handle failure. And they need to learn to handle the trolls and the haters.

I explained to them how many content creators fail because they can't handle that. The criticism comes. The hate comes. And they fold.

If you want to put yourself out there, that comes with it. You either build the character to stand your ground, or it breaks you. Those lessons begin in the school playground.

Back to the game

Then I went back out and played.

Good, honest games just a handful of guys. BB wars. No drama, no egos, just airsoft the way it should be.

Maybe one of those kids becomes a footballer. Maybe one becomes a YouTuber. Either way, I hope something stuck. Find what you love. Learn how to earn people's attention. And learn how to take a hit.