To My Nephew on his 18th Birthday!

My nephew recently turned 18 and as I searched for ideas for his present, I decided that I wanted to give some advice to a promising young man as he enters this next phase of his life and continues into adulthood.  As a woman and a mother to daughters, this is advice I wish I could instill in all young men entering adulthood.

Life advice to my nephew on his 18th birthday

For the college years

1. College is an awesome experience.  You get to attend classes with a schedule that you choose; you have much more freedom with your days then you have had in school thus far.  It is a very cool environment where you dictate what you do with your time every day.  It delays being in the “real world” that entails working full time.  Don’t screw it up.
2. Have fun yet be serious about your school work so that you can successfully graduate and get your degree.
3. Take pride in where you live and keep it neat; it will help you with your studies as well as with your friends.

For professional business life after college

4. Take your professional job seriously; however, be sure to laugh and make the day enjoyable for you and your co-workers.  Everyone who works full time, spends most of their day at work; if the environment is enjoyable, it will also be more productive; humans require connection and laughter is good for the soul.
5. Respect your co-workers and communicate nicely with them; no one likes working with a jerk.
6. If you are not happy in a job or in a career, then change it.  Life constantly evolves and so will you.

For life

7. Be Kind.
8. Respect Women always and in all things.
9. Don’t Ever Drink and Drive.
10. Stay True to Yourself.
11. Follow your passion.  There is a famous quote by Confucius: “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”
12. Love and Respect your parents, for they are the reason you exist.
13. Be Humble.  No one knows it all and no one likes anyone who acts like they do.
14. Be money smart; never spend more than you make.
15. Be Inquisitive.  Learning is an aspect of life that never ends.
16. Work Hard; Play Hard.
17. You only have one body; treat it well.
18. Be Happy.  You only get one life; live it well and enjoy it.

For the record, along with the 18 pieces of advice, I also provided gifts to my nephew, as I'm not that un-cool of an aunt.

With Best Wishes for a Wonderful Future to my Nephew,

Me


Motivational Moment:

I came across this article today on the wonderfully positive "MindBodyGreen" website: LINK.  The article is about "The 4th Trimester Bodies Project" which is a beautiful "documentary photo project" about what women look like after giving birth.  I think the project and the pictures are beautiful.

May you all be comfortable in the skin you are in.

Peace and hugs,
SG