This letter was written to my granddaughter when she was six to be read on her eighteenth birthday. I hope to be there for that big event… but in a world of uncertainty, there are no guarantees of a tomorrow, which prompted this letter.
My life has been a wondrous journey. I have been privileged to work with thousands of young adults trying to find their place and way forward in the world and I have learned much from them.
This wisdom of the years is something I want to share with my granddaughter, but there are no absolutes in life except death and no certainty of another day on earth. I may not be there for her as a person, but my words can carry the love and hope I have for her and her future.
In case I am not there to sit and talk about the big issues of life, I wrote a series of letters to her in the hope my hard acquired lessons of life might ease her journey when she is old enough to understand and perhaps learn from what I have left her.
Dear Madison,
One of the most difficult things you will find in life to achieve is the ability to live within yourself. Living within yourself…
Living within yourself simply means you live your own life, chasing your own dreams, and most of your motivation and direction for this trek comes from your own sense of who you are and what you want.
Living for yourself means living the life that YOU want for yourself, regardless of the opinions of others. It's living a life you feel aligned with, a life you love, and a life you are proud of.
It's not selfish and it's your right to live your life for yourself. You have the right to make your own choices. You have the right to have your choices respected.
What does it mean to live within your means? If you're living within your means, you have enough money to cover all expenses. By adopting a personal finance plan and sticking to it, you can know your basic needs are covered along with other financial priorities.
What does 'living alone' actually mean? Living alone means that when you shut your front door, you are solely responsible for what happens within the walls of your home. You might rent your home or own it, or be staying somewhere for free.
So humans today (like you and I) are going to have very strong social instincts. This naturally makes it hard to live for yourself because our minds think we need acceptance, admiration, and status from others in order to survive.
Living alone can be mentally healthy if approached in the right way. It can provide space for self-reflection, personal growth, and independence. However, it's important to maintain social connections and activities that support your mental health.
If you live your own life, you live in the way that you want to and accept responsibility for your actions and decisions, without other people's advice or interference. Adults need to live their own lives and that's difficult with children.
Introduction: My name is Tyson Zemlak, I am a excited, light, sparkling, super, open, fair, magnificent person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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