What piece of advice have you been given that has changed your life? And who gave you that advice?

I'd like to know what has influenced other people to become who they are.What piece of advice have you been given that has changed your life? And who gave you that advice?
I grew up in a horrible place and had the worst childhood. I was 17, a single mother and had just gotten my GED. I was talking to a casual friend, a older guy (probably 45 at the time) one night at a meeting and he asked me what I was going to do now that I had my GED. I hadn't thought about it. lol. I was just living day to day. And he said I should go to college. No one had ever said that to me before. I had honestly never considered it as a possibility. I asked him ';What would I take in college? How would I pay for it?'; And he said that I would figure both out if I made the committment. He was right. The next day I went to the college and started filling out paperwork. I got a BA in history - I have $30,000 in student loans. lol. But I make three times that a year. It was one of the greatest achievements in my life. I am the only person in my family to ever go to college.


You never know when you will be the spark in someone elses life.What piece of advice have you been given that has changed your life? And who gave you that advice?
good question, i think that the advice would have to be person spicific. i have tried to share with others my life changing events and they don't seem affected. maybe its my sales skills. whoknows.





but for me it was when someone addressed a problem i was having and made light of it saying maybe it was just something that i needed to learn from and continue on. i have a problem getting stuck on things and this cleared up my thinking and was refreshing. i didn't immediatly change my life but it was a turning point. that set me up for things to come.
Just do it %26lt;%26lt; my mom.


It gets easier %26lt;%26lt; my dad.





Those pieces of advice totally changed how I perceived things. It was like overnight I changed into a whole different person 'cos everything seemed to make sense. When you just take responsibility and do things life is so much easier. I think that's what my parents are talking about ^_^ I know my sister had trouble waking up in her teenage years for school and my dad would always tell her ';it gets easier'; once you wake up. That's so true.
My grandmother told me 'if you haven't got your health you haven't got anything'.





She told me this in her later years as her health was fading, but I understood what she was trying to tell me.





Basically the message was look after yourself now while you are young and while you have control over life and try and keep it that way.
Education is a light load to carry. Given by maternal grandfather.
Do your best and that is enough. Said by my dad around finals in college.
My high school guidance counselor, Ms. Holmes, told me ';you have to realize that everyone isn't as smart as you are.'; When she said that, I didn't know if it was a compliment or a slight. Not to be arrogant, but all my life people have told me I'm highly intelligent, and when I was a teenager I thought that was one of the main reasons for people misunderstanding or resenting me. Popularity was never my strong suit, and I used to think that I had to choose between being true to myself and being accepted. But now I realize that I don't need to change who I am to fit in, but just have a flexible persona. That really makes life a lot easier. And if I come across a young person who reminds me of myself at their age I will tell them what Ms. Holmes told me, and I will also tell them this: Simple thinkers understand simple ideas. Complex thinkers understand complex ideas. But to take complex ideas and make them simple is the mark of genius.
borrow money only to invest in something that promises to return more than the cost of the interest. Never borrow to spend on consumer goods that depreciate. pay cash for all such things even if you must drive a beat up old car.





I have lived cheap, made a lot of easy money and drove some pretty far out older cars that are fun and cool to own and never had a car payment.


Buy real estate on leverage with other peoples money and ret them out for the payment then sell when they appreciate.





This was in an old book by Napoleans Hill ';Think and Grow Rich'; Think positive and believe in yourself. It has paid off well.





also.... ';never pay retail';


do you know know easy it is to get a wholesale license?


get one.


buy for a dollar and sell for two. its that simple folks.
';Don't show your emotions, just have them.'; An acting teacher. Made me a much better actor.





';You can be whatever you want to be.'; My mom.





';You learn more from failure than from success.'; Keith Johnstone
The advice was intrinsic in that I wanted to better myself, and decided to pursue higher education!!!
';'Treat another person the way you would like to be treated.'; I do not know from whom or how.


Another is '; there is always 2 sides to every story';


Iam 57 years old and I still hate this,'; Prejudice';. I am not not talking about race. Iam talking about prejudging people before you know anything about them.
';If you want something form somebody, ask. The worst that they can say is no.'; -Grandma





';Money is only paper, you can always accumulate more.'; -Grandma. Growing up, my parents always lived outside of their means. It caused a lot of arguments and ultimately lead to my parents' divorce. As an adult I constantly worry about money and status. When my grandmother told me this, it made me realize that there are more important things to worry about, and material items are not that important.
the more you learn, the more humble you become. Wise men never speak unless spoken to.