A Little More Advice for Young People — Part Three

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that time is probably the most valuable thing you’ll ever have. And unfortunately, it’s the one thing you can’t earn more of.

When you’re young, you think you’ve got forever. There’s always tomorrow, next week, or next year. But believe me, those years have a way of slipping by a whole lot faster than you ever imagined.

Don’t spend your life waiting for the perfect time to do something worthwhile. There probably isn’t going to be one.

And stop spending so much time worrying about what everybody else is thinking, saying, or doing. Half the time, the people you’re trying to impress aren’t even paying attention.

Concentrate on your own life. Do your job well, be fair with people, and take pride in whatever you’re doing. Whether you’re running a company or sweeping the floor, there’s satisfaction in knowing you did something right.

Learn to think for yourself. Don’t believe something just because everybody else believes it. Use your common sense, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to change your mind when you learn something new.

And don’t confuse being busy with accomplishing something. You can run around all day long and still get absolutely nothing worthwhile done.

Try to keep your life simple. You don’t need to complicate everything or turn every little problem into a major crisis.

Be careful about what you allow into your mind, too. Your thoughts eventually influence your actions, and your actions have a way of determining the kind of person you become.

And here’s something I’ve come to appreciate more with age. You don’t need to be recognized or applauded for every good thing you do. Sometimes just knowing you did the right thing ought to be enough.

Life isn’t about how important you become or how many people know your name.

It’s about what you do with the time you’re given and the kind of person you choose to be along the way.

Because someday, all the things you thought were so important won’t matter nearly as much as whether you lived a life you can look back on with pride.