Open Letter to My Grandchildren
In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety.
Abraham Maslow
You live in a world with wonderful opportunities and significant risks.
Your mind will try to convince you to take the safe way.
But the safe way is not safe.
Your mind will tell you what you want is to be comfortable, to avoid struggle.
That’s because it hates to be out of control.
It hates to be uncertain.
It hates to feel stupid.
But you will never be satisfied with being comfortable.
You don’t realize it, but you were made for struggle.
Your brain needs to struggle for it to become smarter.
Your body needs to struggle for it to get strong.
Your confidence needs to struggle for it to develop resilience.
The easy path looks like the best way, but it will not take you where you want to go.
There will be many times when you will have to choose whether to go to the left or to the right.
Sometimes, you will make the wrong choice.
As soon as you notice you are on the wrong path, find your way to the better path.
Don’t keep going the wrong way. Don’t make excuses. Don’t blame other people.
Get back on the better path.
Sometimes, you can’t tell which path is better until you walk a ways down one.
If it seems good, keep going.
If not, go back and try the other way.
These detours may seem like a waste of time, but they help you get better at recognizing the better way.
You become wise by learning from your mistakes.
Learn from them and move on.
If you are not making mistakes, you are not learning, and you are not growing.
Don’t try to make perfect choices.
Make good choices and avoid making terrible choices.
One terrible choice can wipe out years of good choices.
But mistakes aren’t the only way to learn.
You can also learn from the mistakes of others.
When you meet people on the path, try to learn as much from them as you can.
Don’t ever ask, “When will I ever need to know this?”
Nothing you learn will ever be wasted.
Keep focused on where you are headed.
You are growing into the person you were meant to be.
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