The Best Advice I Ever Received (page 2 of 2)

• Ask Laskas

More Insightful Advice

Most Insightful Advice
A friend of mine who is blind refuses to consider herself disabled or indulge in self-pity. She believes that every limitation can flower into unique talents. She points to herself as an example. "Let's see you find the toilet in the dark." Oh, I see!

Best English Teacher Advice
As an eighth-grader, I was, like, so bored. You had to be bored to be cool. But my English teacher considered boredom the disease of an inactive mind. She told me: Always be in the middle of a good book and you'll never be in a bad or bored mood. I've been in the middle of reading or writing one ever since.

Best Neighborly Advice
Recently I overdosed at the nursery and came home with a pickup full of zinnias, petunias and pansies. After unloading the truck in the hot sun, I felt overwhelmed. It would take days to get those plants in! I almost gave up. A neighbor found me sitting in the dirt. She leaned over, picked up a trowel and handed it to me. Just dig one hole. You plant a garden one flower at a time. I've found this advice applies to all of life's activities. You write a book one word at a time, clean a closet one shelf at a time, run a marathon one step at a time. If you feel defeated by some large task, get your spade and dig the first hole.

Best Sisterly Advice
My sister was in a serious career slump; I'd just been dumped by a man I thought was The One. (This was way before The One mentioned above.) We were in our mid-20s, miserable, and 500 miles apart, and our friends were sick of listening to us whine. Then one night my sister called and said, "We gotta go to Hawaii." What kind of advice was that? I'd never done anything so impulsive in my life.

But we took the trip, sipped fruity drinks and cried on each other's shoulder for two solid weeks. At last, our woes seemed ridiculous and our wails turned to laughter. At one point Sis turned to me and gave me advice that has stayed with me to this day: Family comes first -- and last. When everyone is sick of you, they'll stick with you. Even if they're sick of you!

From Reader's Digest - May 2007