Jacki — Advice From Aunt Jacki
This past week I was asked to add to my niece’s college advice book and writing a letter to her became an exploration of what ideals and values have worked in my own life. The older I get, the more poignant these pieces of advice are.
1 – If you learn from the best, you become even greater – Continue your education. I didn’t go to college and have always wanted to for many reasons. I did make my own way without a college education, but in many ways this ended up being the hard road. Once I continued my education with business classes, management classes and marketing classes I was able to get my business to a more profitable place faster. If I had done that earlier, would I have been better off?
2 – Uncover your heart’s desire – At no other time in your life will you be as free as you are now. This is the perfect time figure out what you don’t want while what you really want takes shape. Explore those crazy ideas, weigh each risk before you take it and ask for what you want.
3 – Fail early, fail often – When you take your risks early on, they are small. When you allow yourself small failures in the beginning, their impact is less traumatic. Each failure is a greater opportunity to learn and grown than you will ever get by following the status quo. When you fail early and often, your chance for success is greater.
4 – Surround yourself with people you admire – As humans, we are always pulled to the lowest common denominator. Make sure that lowest point is higher than your worst habit. Drama is not something that happens; it is something that is created by the actions you take.
5 – Rock your own world regularly – Never settle for what is given, reach for something amazing. If you always wait in line, your experience will be mediocre and un-remarkable. When you forge your own path, your experiences will be noteworthy and shape not only your future, but the future of the people that follow in your wake.
6 – Everyone has their own path to walk on – your friends and family will always have advice for you, but only you know what’s best for your own life. No one ever wants to go the road alone and will work hard on dragging you along on theirs – but your path belongs only to you. You born alone, you die alone and in-between there are times when you will feel like the only person in the world who is experiencing ”this”. Although your path is uniquely yours, there are others who are going your way and together you have greater strength. Then when it is time for the paths to diverge, honor that past connection, cherish it and stay true to your course.
Wether you have come from a line of risk takers or a family of folks who play it safe it does not matter. It is always time to go for what you want and NEVER wait for permission to live life. Doing this does not mean you have to stand in front of a crowd of people and change the world, but it means you have to know your own self and be true to it.
