In the last 22 years, I have received a lot of advice from a lot of different people who always think they know best. What I have learned, though, is that no one has ever given me better advice or taught me greater life lessons than my parents have. It is what they have told me over the years that sticks with me no matter how old I grow or what situation I face.
Growing up, my dad showed me one of his all time favorite movies, “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. The movie had a musical number called “Que Sera, Sera.” When translated, this means “whatever will be, will be,” as in, if it is meant to happen, it will. If not, then maybe that’s because something better is headed your way. When something doesn’t work out in the way I hope, whether it be a relationship, job, etc., I always try to keep this in mind and move forward to that something better headed my way.
It’s important that you learn to laugh at yourself from time to time. You’re not always going to be perfect, and you’re going to goof up, and sometimes it is going to be in a way that others find comical. However if your ego is always too big to find the humor in some of your slip ups, instead getting mad or distraught, then you are going to have a long road ahead of you.
Learn from others. When my parents and I would go out to eat, every so often you’d see someone mercilessly yelling at a waiter or waitress over as something as silly as food. My dad and mom would always tell me, “right there is a good example of how you never want to be,” talking about the person getting worked up over something that would easily be fixed as soon as they finish throwing their tantrum. My parents would always point these kind of interactions out, saying that we could always learn from others and make note of how we should never treat another human being.
Just be yourself and do your thing and you will make the right friends. After going through all the high school drama of fake friends all talking behind each others’ backs, it can make you a bit apprehensive about who is really your friend and who isn’t. So when I started college 18 hours away from home, I was terrified. My parents gave me that piece of advice and I have never appreciated anything more. I have easily made the best friends of my life here and have never worried once about the stuff I did back in high school.
Never be too cowardly to apologize. Being able to apologize when you are in the wrong is important. Owning up to your mistakes in life is essential and is part of life and being a good person. People will respect you more if you are able to be the bigger person and say sorry when necessary.
Anger and hate is never worth holding on to. Everyone will experience these emotions towards someone or something at some point in their life. When they do, they can either make the decision to hold on to that hate and anger and let it drag them down or let it go and be a happier person for it. It’s not always an easy task to do, but you will live a better life for it.
Last but not least, be comfortable in your own skin. You will always have your insecurities, no matter who you are. But if you are always worried and insecure because of them, it will consume you. You have to learn to be happy with who you are when you look in the mirror everyday and stop putting so much pressure on yourself.
Life isn’t always going to be easy. There will always be obstacles and curve balls thrown your way that will make you want to give up sometimes. There will always be someone who wants to drag you down in one way or another. And there will always be choices to be made in which the decision will not come easily. However, I have found over the years that by applying some of the lessons my parents have taught me, they tend to make some of these life problems that much easier.