The best advice I’ve ever been given

 

Take a note of the balls you’re juggling. As you keep your work , family, friends and spirit in the air, remember that work is a rubber ball and will bounce back if you drop it. All the rest are made of glass: drop one of them and it will be irrevocably scuffed, tarnished or even smashed.

A collection of advice from people we care about

By Katerina Efstratiadou

The best advice I've ever been given

ACTION

• Make today count
• It's better to do something than nothing
• You only reap what you sow "
• Sometimes there's nothing left to do, but the thing itself
• Keep a journal
• On good advice, I believe that grasping opportunities 6 the only
  way
• Set goals and celebrate every success, however smalldo one thing every day that scares you
• Why not now?
• If not you, then who? If not now, then when?
• Go and do it - if you do not stretch yourself, set goals and have
  dreams - you will never make it
• Who ever told you life was fair?
• Go for it

CAREER

• The more experience you put in the bag, the more true/sound it
  seems to become
• Threat everybody around you with respect - you never know who
  your next customer or boss will be
• Always carry business cards
• Be able to say what you do in one inspiring sentence
• Be smart on the outside, then people will assume you're smart on
  the inside too
• It's always worth spending out on a classic suit
• Study your job
• If you are what you do, then when you stop doing it, you aren't
• Remember that no-one on their death bed said, T wish I'd spent
  more time at the office¹

COMMON SENSE

• Never eat peas with a knife
• Wear suntan lotion all year round
• Always fill up the tank in your car
• Never drive faster than your angels can fly
• Never write down your passwords, PIN codes or any other
  security information
• Work on the assumption every other road user is a complete idiot
• Always park in busy well-lit places
• Park next to expensive well-cared for vehicles rather than cheap
  battered ones

COURTESY

• Respect your elders
• Always write a thank you note
• Respect other people and they will respect you
• If you see someone who needs help, offer it
• Never ascribe to malice that which may be better explained by
  stupidity

FINANCE

• When I was younger my main motivation was money and wanting to
  be rich. My father once said to me, 'Son, there are two ways to
  be rich. One is to have a lot, and the other is to want little'.
• The top 5% of earners typically own their own businesses
• Find out where poor people go, and don't go there
• Find out what poor people read, and don't read it
• Save before you spend: set up a standing order for theday (on or
  just after) you get paid, into a regular savings account. You won't
  even notice that the money is missing from your account!
• Never, ever sell a property unless you absolutely have to
• Invest with other people's money
• Cash in your penny jar before they go out of circulation
• Happily pay for the best financial advice you can find
• Be happy to pay more tax- it means you're earning more money!
• Encourage your children to save and invest

GIVING BACK

• Help others and don't look for reward and you will be blessed
  with plenty
• When you have the choice of being right or being kind, always
  choose to be kind
• Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are
  truly endless
• HEALTH & VITALITY
• brink water
• Don't mix the grain and the grape
• Take a deep breath
• Buy good quality shoes - you only have one pair of feet
• Eat your greens
• Fill your plate with naturally colourful food
• Never keep cooked meat longer than 3 days
• Have a dental check up every 6 months
• Listen to your body
• Seek medical advice early
• Lavender and tea tree oils- Mother Nature's antiseptics
• The minute you feel a cold coming take Echinacea
• Make the most of free food, collect blackberries from the
  hedgerows, nettle and dandelion leaves and get back to nature
• If you're feeling low, juice up some carrots and apples for aquick,
  healthy boost

HOUSEHOLD

• Vinegar or bicarbonate of soda- one of them will always be the
  solution to a cleaning problem
• Clean your windows with scrunched up damp newspaper
• Remove stains from cups by diluting a denture cleaning tablet
• Microwave half a lemon to get rid of bad smells
• HUMOUR
• Smile - it makes people wonder what you've been up to
• Never buy a brand new property in Spain

LIFE BALANCE

• Take time to smell the roses
• Take a note of the balls you're juggling. As you keep your work,
  family, friends and spirit in the air, remember that work is a
  rubber ball and will bounce back if you drop it. All the rest are
  made of glass; drop one of them and it will be irrevocably
  scuffed, tarnished or even smashed

OUR WORLD

• Explore your own area as if you were a tourist
• It's memories, not photos that matter. Wherever you are, take
  time to look around, and savour the moment
• Appreciate the beauty in nature
• Be thankful for the rain, sun always follows
• Live each day as if it is the first day of your life
• Always look for alternative explanations
  

RELATIONSHIPS

• When my Mom died two years ago, my then three-year-old son,
  upon seeing my Dad, said to him "You don't have anyoneto play
  with anymore, do you?" That question gave me a whole new
  perspective on death and loss, and frankly it was the most
  profound statement I heard from *anyone* about my Mom's
  death.
• Never underestimate the power of touch
• Value your friends
• Tell people what you want (versus what you don't want), this also
  leads onto asking people what they want (versus what they don't
  want) - saves a hell of a lot of time
• To the world you might be one person, but to one person you just
  might be the world
• Love your wife and children and your life will be filled with
  happiness
• Never, ever throw away your children's old school reports
• Tell the people you love that you love them
• Love me, love my dog

UNDERSTAND

• Seek first to understand
• Be the best listener you can be
• Accept that you can't change the past
• See life through the eyes of a child
• Remember, these are the good old days we'll look back on
• Today's problem will be tomorrow's experience
• Keep the teddy you had as a child
• Read your children the books you loved at their age
• Don't prejudge
• When you're in the room, be in the room
• Wherever you are, be there
• If someone crosses you once - then they are responsible and you
  shouldn't blame yourself, if someone crosses you twice then
  that's down to you!
• Be prepared to deal with the consequences of your actions: you
  can do what ever you like, but everything you do will have
  consequences - sometimes good, sometimes bad. Consider the
  consequences BEFORE you take action, and be prepared to deal with them
• A narrow mind leads a narrow life

WORKING ON YOURSELF

• Act “as if”
• Be curious
• Always be yourself and always do your best. No one can expect
  more from you
• Work harder on yourself than you do on your business, and you'll
  find everything works harder for you
• Be happy with who are you, but improve on who you can become
• Be your own greatest fan
• Be bold, wear bright colours- it'll brighten the day
• You make your own luck
• Never regret the past, never worry about the future, make the
  most of the present