80 Pieces of Advice From People Over the Age of 80
I was hired by a family last Christmas to document the life stories of their grandparents. At first, I was hesitant, knowing that I had a full plate coming up and not a lot of spare time to write a couple of books. After praying about it, I decided to go ahead and start visiting with the individuals and document their stories.
For Christmas, I was able to give them the gift of their whole lives in one book. Honestly, seeing their reaction was probably one of my favorite Christmas gifts ever!! I learned a few things from these individuals I got to document, so I thought I’d share their little pieces of advice I learned from documenting their life stories over this past year. I think they will be good nuggets for us as we enter into the new year:
Sometimes you just gotta quit fussin’ & get to work.
Celebrate what you’re given; appreciate what you’ve got.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
Don’t knock it till you try it.
Tell them thank you, say I love you, & never take them for granted.
Changes are scary, but they must be made.
When one door closes, another one opens.
Be ready to learn.
Be open for adventure.
Make the most of what you’re given.
You find love in the most unexpected places.
Embrace each day and live it to the fullest - you never know when your last will be.
Just because you fail doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try again.
It’s going to be hard before it gets easy.
It’s not always about what you know. It’s about who you know and who knows you.
You never really know what opportunity is around the corner.
Respect is earned.
Focus on the things that matter.
Sometimes all it takes is one person’s words to set your life in a new direction.
Have faith.
True success requires sacrifice.
There’s always someone fighting for you… even when you’re not fighting for yourself.
Take care of the ones you love.
Never doubt the power you have to make a difference even in the smallest of ways.
Life is a gift.
You get out of life what you put in it.
If you want to be successful, you should be around good people. They will help guide you.
Sometimes tragedy is good, so grab onto change.
If life hands you failure, adjust. Change. Redo. Life has new challenges for you.
You’ve got to give 110%. Success comes in the extra 10%.
Work smart. Make lists. Save time.
For the things you worry about today, you’ll probably wonder why you worried tomorrow.
Take time to reflect on your blessings.
Find ways to make the hard things a little better.
Ice cream is always a great reward.
Happiness is homemade.
Patience is key.
Focus on what you do have rather than what you don’t.
It’s the little things that matter.
Don’t rely on others for your own success.
Always ask Mom first.
Each day holds a possibility of a miracle.
Not every idea is a good idea.
Boredom only exists when you give it life.
No matter how many times you fight, find a way to love.
Sometimes you need to lose the small battles in order to win the war.
When at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.
Step outside your comfort zone, and see what happens.
Believe you can, and you’re halfway there.
Failure defeats losers, but it inspires winners.
Know where you come from.
Shoot your shot.
You cannot go where you want to by remaining where you are.
Go with your gut.
At the end of the day, love is what matters.
You don’t need riches and wealth to make something memorable.
The only time you should ever look back is to see how far you’ve come.
Fight like the underdog, and finish as a champion.
Don’t dwell on the goodbyes. Look forward to the hellos.
There is always hope.
Don’t be afraid of a new adventure.
Embrace those small moments.
Make the most of today.
Keep growing.
Be careful what you wish for.
You are never too old for a new adventure.
If you want to learn to swim, you’ve got to throw yourself in the water.
A mother’s intuition is (almost) always right.
It’s better to be safe than sorry.
Act on your vision.
Good things take time.
If you play with fire, you’re going to get burned.
It’s hard to forget someone who gave you so much to remember.
Things will work out. They always do.
Change is a messy but beautiful thing.
Keep taking chances.
Keep having fun.
Always help Mom in the kitchen.
It doesn’t cost anything to be nice.
Life is a ride. Ain’t it great.