A Little More Advice for Young People Part 2

Here’s something I wish more young people understood. You’re not going to get through life without dealing with difficult people.

You’re going to run into people who are selfish, dishonest, ungrateful, arrogant, and downright miserable. Some days, you might run into all five before lunchtime.

But here’s the thing. You can’t control how other people behave. You can only control how you respond to them.

Don’t let somebody else’s bad attitude ruin your day or turn you into somebody you don’t want to be. Getting angry over every little thing is a pretty good way to spend your life being miserable.

And don’t waste your time worrying about what everybody else is doing. You’ve got enough responsibility taking care of your own behavior without trying to straighten out the rest of the world.

Learn to appreciate the day you’ve been given. None of us knows how many more we have, and that’s something young people rarely think about. We spend so much time worrying about tomorrow that we forget to enjoy today.

Take care of your mind as well as your body. Think before you speak, and don’t allow every passing emotion to make your decisions for you.

And here’s another thing. Stop worrying so much about what other people think of you. Their opinions aren’t going to determine the kind of person you become. Your own choices will.

Life is short, whether you’re 20 or 70. Don’t waste it chasing approval, holding grudges, complaining about things you can’t change, or putting off becoming the person you know you should be.

At the end of the day, you don’t have to be perfect. Nobody is.

Just try to be a little wiser, a little kinder, and a little better today than you were yesterday.

Because the one person you’re going to have to live with your entire life is yourself. Make sure you’re somebody you can respect.