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In the long run, it's probably better to tie yourself down to one position and really become established in one area to be as good as you can in that position.
It's a mutual respect, especially a player like Neymar, a player of a similar age to me and someone I've got massive respect for what he's done in world football.
In my head, I was like any young kid: 'I'm going to be a footballer.' But at the same time, my mum and dad were making me do my schoolwork, and that was important.
Arsenal are all about nice, intricate passing movements around the box, so if I shoot too much from outside the box without scoring, the boss will have a go at me!
When my dad was still playing, he was away for five years on and off, so it just used to be me and my mum at home until my little brother came along when I was five.
You have good form, bad form, get criticised, get bigged up. You go through spells of trying to find out how much to listen to, what not to pay too much attention to.
Arsenal have a great manager in Arsene Wenger, top quality players and an attractive style of play. These were all important factors in me choosing to sign for Arsenal.
I've played so many games of football now, and even though it is at a higher level, at the end of the day, football is football. You are just playing with better players.
If you are good friends with someone, you get to know them better and their strengths and weaknesses. You have that respect for each other, and you learn the way one another play.
Sometimes when I play on the wing, I have to remind myself to stay out wide because I tend to naturally drift in towards the ball. I try to get on the ball and make something happen.
I've played on the wing in some games and found myself in the middle for five or 10 minutes when others drift wide. It's about creating chances, scoring goals and helping the team win.
I have been playing for England since I was 18, and while I wouldn't say I took it all for granted, it just seemed to be a part of my season - to play for Arsenal and to play for England.
Playing in a team like Arsenal helps massively having all of these players around you giving you advice. When they are playing well, you feel comfortable, and it helps you to play well, too.
I've had loads of kicks over the years, and I'm not really too fussed about them. I get kicked, and I don't like to roll around or anything. I like to get back up pretty quickly, even if it hurt.
Ever since I've been at Arsenal, we've had numerous quality players, and the whole squad had been very strong. It just seemed that in the big games we came up short sometimes, and you wonder why.
I am old enough and wise enough and I have been around long enough to know that things will be said - and not nice things a lot of the time. And when you are doing well, nice things will be said.
I started going training with Southampton, and they were selecting the team for the under-9s. I did a six-week trial and got in. I was quite lucky to play at a good standard from a very young age.
When I've watched teams that play with five at the back and wing-backs, I've looked at their starting positions and positions out of possession because that comes a little bit more unnaturally to me.
I just want to be able to be an attacking influence and have that effect further up the pitch; whether that's from an attacking midfield position or one of the wider positions coming in, I'm not too fussed.
My dad speaks a lot of sense and keeps me grounded. He'll watch me play and, if I've done well, he'll have a quiet word with me and say, 'Well done.' If I've had a not-so-good game, he'll let me know about it.
When you're a young lad in a team like Arsenal, you feel like, of course, you deserve to be at the club... but you're on the periphery, and there are world-class players and more experienced players around you.
You are all mates off the pitch, but on it, you are all competing for places. I think that only makes a healthier squad - more players fighting for positions can only mean everyone has got to step their game up.
I'd be lying if I said there weren't times when I hadn't lost a little bit of confidence. But the people around me, close to me, were the ones to tell me I'd been playing slightly differently, not as confidently as I had been.
Throughout your career, you will always be asked to play slightly different positions here and there, and obviously, the needs of the team come first, so if you need to fill in at a different position, you'll be expected to do that.
I want to thank the Arsenal fans who've always supported me. But I can't apologise for my decision to leave. I want to get more out of myself. I felt the main thing was taking myself out of my comfort zone. That's why Liverpool shouted out for me.
I always hear commentators talking about squads that have been around and that have won things; they always mention the experience of winning and knowing what it takes to win. They have only got that through winning trophies and winning competitions.
Sticking to a routine helps you get in the zone for the match. I always put my left shinpad on before my right. When I go out onto the pitch, I take three hops on my left leg - but I don't know why I started. I must have seen Messi do it or something.
People at school used to assume I was going to be a footballer, and it wasn't until I got to 16, when I was at Southampton, that I had a doubt for the first time in my life. Southampton said I wasn't big enough, but it was just because I hadn't grown. Simple as that.
If there's a shot on, I like to take the opportunity as well, and I like passing the ball - which is one of the reasons I came to Arsenal. But I'm a player that likes to come up with an end product - whether that's a goal, an assist, or helping the team to get good results.
I remember watching David Beckham scoring that free-kick at Old Trafford to take England to a World Cup. Things like that stick with you. I was at Southsea, waiting to board a hovercraft for the Isle of Wight. We ended up missing it because we were more interested in watching the big screen.
Obviously, everyone goes in the gym and does the biceps bells and the bench press, but when you're injured, you work on your core, your pelvic floor, your groins, on glutes, and muscles you wouldn't really know about. It does make you a stronger player all round in terms of injury prevention.
I am really close to my mum. She always made me do my school and make sure I got all my grades. She is a physiotherapist, which is a massive help to me, so in terms of nutrition, she was the one who made sure I was eating all the right food, and I can only thank her that she kept me fit and healthy.
My dad had a spell when he came out of coaching doing some work with underprivileged children on quite a rough council estate in Southampton to help the kids and take them out to places. I used to go along with him. I used to play football with them, mess about with them. I was only 13 or 14 and became good friends with them.