What’s the best advice you ever received? Do you still remember? Have you made it a part of your daily life? This week we’re continuing my Friday introduction series and I’m sharing the best advice I’ve ever received.
Most of us have received (and given) advice that has impacted our lives, and maybe even changed our mindset forever. Not all the advice we receive is good, and some may have affected us negatively.
Today, I’d like to share the best advice I’ve ever received.
Some Excellent Advice I’ve Received
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If you want friends, you have to be friendly. Okay, yes, I know this is based on a Bible verse. But my mother told this to me when I rejoined the church as an adult. I’d felt isolated—as if I didn’t fit in or belonged.
Her advice got me sticking my introverted head out of my turtle shell and being more open and friendly.
Learn to differentiate your friends from your acquaintances. There are some people who do this instinctively. They create tiers and determine which person belongs in what tier, with the closest being part of the inner circle.
Some of us are not like that. We classify everyone as friends even before we’ve tested the mettle of their friendship. It’s important for us to know the difference between the people who entertain us at lunch and the ones who we can call at 2 am when we have a problem.
The Best Advice Ever
The best piece of advice I’ve ever received was from my mother. “Always have yuh bex money.”
Translation: “Always have money in case you get angry.”
In other words, never go anywhere without having your fare to return home, regardless of who you’re traveling with.
Have you ever been someplace where you were dependent on someone to take you home? But long after you were ready to leave, your driver was still having a good time, reluctant to leave their friends?
Unfortunately, you can’t leave them because you have no other way to get home and no money.
If you had “vex money”, you’d have the means to return home. Having vex money means that you have some control over the time you leave an event if you’re uncomfortable, bored, or angry.
I watched her practice this even when we were traveling with my father. Sometimes, she used her vex money in other ways when unexpected events arose. It’s a habit I’ve practiced over the years and have passed on the practice to my husband and son.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?
