Advice to Live By - An Unexpected Encounter
Photo Credit: Kaique Rocha
An Unexpected Encounter
Advice comes in many shapes and forms. Sometimes we seek it, sometimes we don’t want to hear it, and sometimes it finds us in the most unlikely of ways. There was a moment during my adventure in the Peruvian Andes that I got pleasantly surprised. The rowdiest member of our group was playing music on his speaker, and a certain song came on. It started as a typical tropical mix and I didn’t think much of the introduction, but as the song began to unfold, the lyrics resonated with me. I found the words of Baz Luhrmann both relevant and worthy of sharing.
In this post, I share the lyrics that stood out to me, and the song that led me to discover them. Enjoy!
Ladies and Gentlemen…
Wear Sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.
The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience…
I will dispense this advice now..[…]
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh never-mind; you will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they have faded.
But trust me, in 20 years you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked… You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future; or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind ;the kind that blindside you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing everyday that scares you.
Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, and don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind… the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Remember the compliments you receive, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters, throw away your old bank statements.
Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life… the most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.
Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone.
Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40. Maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary…
What ever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.
Enjoy your body, and use it every way you can… don't be afraid of it, or what other people think of it, it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.
Dance…even if you have nowhere to do it but in your own living room.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Do NOT read beauty magazines, they will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good.
Be nice to your siblings, they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on.
Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.
Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths; prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old, and when you do you'll fantasize that when you were young: prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you have a wealthy spouse, but you never know when either one might run out.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.
[…]
- Baz Luhrmann (Everybody's Free)