Here’s a rule of life: You don’t get to pick what bad things happen to you.
“If you have a choice, move away for college.”
That was almost 40 years ago, and it’s still the best damned thing I ever did. It let me grow as a whole person.
“work smarter, not harder” Scrooge McDuck
I remember one time way back in high school some kids were making fun of some other kids for liking something, can’t remember what it was. Teacher overhead what happened and stopped it, and told us: Imagine how boring the world would be, if everyone liked the same stuff. This one has always stuck with me.
My grandfather continually underscored to me that no matter what you try to do, even if it is a failure so to speak, you have learned. And you can carry what you’ve learned into your next effort, and be that much more strong and powerful. There is no shame in trying to invent something and discover that you are wrong, or start a business and not have it succeed, or try to approach something in a novel way and have it fall flat. That is the essence of how we learn and discover and grow.
Furthermore he taught me that you need to let people show you how to do things that you already know how to do. Everybody out there has a piece of priceless gold that they’re just willing to hand to you, and all you have to do is be willing to listen. And accept that while we may know how to do something, there’s always a better way.
