Advice to My Granddaughters

Last week, we opened up our social media accounts to find hundreds of back to school photos.   It’s that time again, my friends…

As I looked at the photos of kids holding their “first day of” school signs, I looked way back to my first day of high school.  An event that took place 39 years ago.

Back in those days, 9th grade took place in junior high in my town…even though you were still a freshman.  However, 39 years later, I asked myself…if I could give that freshman a bit of advice…what would it be?

What advice would I give my own granddaughters, who are now entering the first and third grades…If they were high school freshmen?

I would say this…

Be a friend but don’t let the process of being a friend cause you to lose your own sense of self.  It’s ok to stand out from the crowd.

It’s ok to say no.

A true friend will not require you to live by their own rules.  High school is a stepping stone to the rest of your life.

It is not a destination.

Your life should be a long and winding road to a better self.  That doesn’t end when you graduate from high school and become an adult.

Life is not a contest.  It’s a journey.  Your very own personal journey.

The different groups, the teenage rules, the drama…that will all end when you walk across the stage at your high school graduation.

Those things that seemed so important…so overwhelmingly vital in high school…become a part of our pasts and somewhat humorous years later.

Don’t let others’ opinions or rules dictate who you are.

Dream big…plan bigger…work harder.

These years are but a fleeting moment in your life.  Enjoy them.  Learn from them.  But don’t dwell on them.

Why?

Because life is a beautifully dynamic process.  If you wait around long enough, your circumstances will change.

You alone hold the map for the direction of your life.  Not others.

Regardless of your circumstances in life…YOU hold the key to your future.

Stay quirky and beautifully imperfect and embrace your differences.  Those differences will make you an ever better adult and a more creative human being.

Live.

Love your life, love yourself, and remember this:

You are standing on the precipice of a whole new world…staring across a deep valley of opportunity and wonder.  Take a deep breath.

Believe in yourself.

Jump.