What I Would Tell A Younger Me
I want to share with you what I wish someone would have sat me down and said to me when I graduated from Edgewater High School in 1997 ….. When I graduated, I didn’t graduate with honors; I was just honored to graduate.
I’m going to tell you what I would tell a younger me if I could rewind the clock, go back, and do it all over again. If I could start over, this is the advice I would tell a younger me.
When I was in high school, I was a mess.
- Graduating class, 792 out of 900
- No direction, no vision, no goals
- I was lost and confused – Comme Sum Lade, Lordy Come Soon
- I had a great family, great potential, great upbringing.
The Importance of Good Choices
Life is a matter of choices and every choice you make, makes you. ~ John Maxwell
- You make your choices, and then your choices turn around and make you!
- Your life is nothing more or less than a reflection of the choices you make.
- As you get older, your choices carry more weight. The ramifications of your decisions require you to be very careful and wise in the choices you make.
It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. ~ J. K. Rowling
How do I make good decisions?
- Ask questions and gather information.
- Think before you act.
- Get advice and wisdom from trusted people.
- Explore options.
- Think about the big picture.
The Influence of Good Friends
Your quality of life improves dramatically when you surround yourself with good, intelligent, kind-hearted, loving people.
*You show me your friends, and I will show you what you will become.
Surround yourself with people who:
- Push you
- Challenge you
- Make you laugh and make you better
- Make you happy
Surround yourself with dreamers & doers, the believers & thinkers. But most of all, surround yourself with those who see greatness in you, even when you don’t see it in yourself.
How do I choose good friends?
- Choose friends who strengthen, motivate and inspire.
- Choose friends with similar values.
- Choose friends with common goals.
- Choose friends who can balance you in areas where you are weak.
The Wisdom of Falling Forward
As you move forward, you are going to fall. Don’t be afraid of failure.
Fall early, fall often, but always fall forward. ~ John Maxwell
Falling forward is the ability to get back up after you’ve been knocked down, learn from your mistakes and move forward in a better direction. ~ John Maxwell
Most great people have attained their greatest success just one step beyond their greatest failure. ~ Napoleon Hill
How do I fall forward?
- Take risks.
- Accept failure as a learning experience.
- Don’t live in the past.
- Turn mistakes into stepping stones.