As I sat down to write my blog for this week, I’ll be honest, I had no inspiration. I had no message I wanted to share and no story to tell. That’s when one of my teammates, Kourtney, pulled a book off the shelf titled “The Complete Life’s Little Instruction Book”. This book is filled with a ton of little tidbits of advice about how to live your life – some as surface level as “call a radio station with an opinion” and some as deep as “remember that life’s most treasured moments often come unannounced”.
However, it wasn’t either of these that stood out to me. Rather, it was the following that caught my attention: “Ask an older person you respect to tell you his or her proudest moment and greatest regret”. As I texted some of my greatest mentors in life to ask for their answers to these questions, I soon realized that it is these people who hold some of the best advice. Let’s see what they had to say!
Marty Matlock:
Greatest moment: “The birth of our children, all 3, and watching them succeed is my greatest moment.”
Greatest regret: “My biggest regret is not always stepping outside my comfort zone when I know I should have.”
My grandfather:
Greatest Moment: “I have had a blessed life and as I look back at all those blessings, they tie back to God and Christ’s love for us. My greatest moment is realizing that through Christ all things are possible”
Greatest Regret: “Not living to my potential. I could have done more. Of course, everyone can always do more, but I chose not to even try lots of times. I was too prideful. If there’s a chance of failure, I wouldn’t even try.”
My momma:
Greatest Moment: “I don’t believe I’ve had my greatest moment yet. As I age, I find that life just keeps getting better. But, if I’m pushed to choose, it’s becoming a mom.”
Greatest Regret: “Once again, I’m not sure I have one because all parts of life are determined by God. But, maybe missing your performance in Wizard of Oz.”
My padre:
Greatest Moment: “Day of marriage & the 3 days my children were born.”
Greatest Regret: “Not going to work the wheat harvest in Australia.”
From my research, I would say I’ve found the three pieces of advice I, and hopefully you, needed to hear:
Find a source of inspiration and strength that fuels you to keep going – no matter what. For my grandfather, and my family, that’s our faith. For Marty, my mom, and my dad, it was their kids and getting the opportunity to raise them. For you, it may be different. Nevertheless, find the catalyst that keeps you motivated.
Life is full of great, exciting events. At times, you may feel as though you have hit the peak moment of your life (getting married, your DREAM job, having kids, etc.). Yet, there is always the potential for even more. As my mom said “I find that life just keeps getting better”. Don’t stay stagnant when you feel you have “peaked”. Rather, allow yourself to keep living, keep growing, and keep pursuing new opportunities that can become some of life’s greatest moments.
This brings me to my 3rd lesson: don’t avoid pursuing new experiences. My grandfather often avoided “doing more” simply because he was afraid of failure. My dad avoided a trip to the other side of the globe because he wanted to help my grandpa with harvest; while that was important, he avoided the opportunity to travel and explore new opportunities because he felt he had an obligation. Life is full of infinite opportunities to learn and take on new adventures – don’t hold back because of failure or “obligation”.
As I set out to write this blog, I had no idea where it would take me, but I’m glad it started that way. It pushed me to reach out, gain new advice, and learn more than I could’ve ever imagined. While I hope the lessons my mentors shared helped you, I also encourage you to reach out to the mentors in your life. They are truly full of some of life’s greatest advice.
Always learning,
Abby
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