Health & Wellness Magazine Community Of Caring - Summer 2019 | Page 21

needed. This strategy simply doesn’t
net out well regardless of what grades
we earn in math. After averaging four to
five hours a night for several years, our
36-year-old version has finally learned
to respect sleep. She guards it fiercely. I
encourage you to protect your sleep at
a younger age. (PS — math is one of our
sweet spots. It’s our jam. We like black
and white answers and scenarios. This
poses challenges for us. Read on.)
Learn to push your own buttons. Inspire
yourself. Everyone else is busy. It’s wonderful
and convenient when others inspire us
but there will be droughts between the
supply and demand. Subsidizing with a
self-sufficient supply of inspiration serves
as our safety net. This is how we make
inspiration sustainable and scalable.
Personally, our strongest source of
inspiration is nature — being outdoors.
In third grade, you will be put in a ‘special’
reading and writing class because you’re
not quite performing up to par with
your classmates. Accept, listen and learn.
We will apply these skills years down
the road when we write our first New
York Times bestselling book. We must
always appreciate the opportunity we
are given to slow down, listen and learn.
Timing is everything. Trust the process.
Where purpose, passion and skill collide,
bliss resides. This sounds like fluffy BS
but it’s your reason for not worrying
about knowing what path or profession
you want to choose when you enter
college — just be open, try everything
and listen to how you feel. Purpose.
Passion. Skill. Collide them. (Heads-up,
they change so don’t get too comfy)
Don’t let other people rent space in
your head for free. That’s valuable real
estate. What other people think of you
is none of your business. Be you and
let go. Repeat. This is a tough one for
us. It requires constant practice. We
struggle and trip over this one at times.
Learn when to make things happen vs.
when to let things happen. When you’re
feeling strongly about one or the other, move
confidently in that one direction. Down the
road, if you don’t like that path after you’ve
given it a red-hot go, then simply choose
again. If you are torn on whether to let
something happen or make it happen then
sit down at the fork in the road and pause.
Hint: We have a tendency to make things
happen (force it) at times. Ease up, sister.
Getting comfortable with being
uncomfortable is extremely powerful.
It takes daily practice. Take risks. When
in doubt, ask yourself: What’s the worst
thing that could happen if I try ____?
And then what? And then what? Also
ask: Is ____ safe enough to try?
Read. Read. Read. Make it a part of your
day, your world. Surround yourself with
people who also love to read. Give books
as gifts. The benefits are unmatched.
Travel. Even if it’s an hour from where
you live. Exploring will open your mind.
If you have an opportunity to travel due
to your career, take the ticket and explore
while working — especially while you’re
young and have fewer geographic anchors.
Don’t spend 36 hours in Australia for
the first time because it’s a “quick work
trip.” Add a few more days and explore,
chances are that nobody will question
the request. Hint: You just have to ask.
Words matter. With all
relationships, exchange “we” vs.
“me” as much as possible.
Try not to worry so much about: your
career, your weight, your finances,
your future, etc. It all works out.
We are warriors, not worriers.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Amy Jo Martn is the author of
New York Times best-seller
Renegades Write the Rules,
and host of the Why Not
Now? podcast. She founded
Digital Royalty in 2009 to
help corporations, celebrities
and sports entities humanize
their brands online through
social communication
channels.
AmyJoMartin.com
Your career is going to take off, but please,
please don’t get caught up. Make family a
priority. I didn’t attend my grandmother’s
funeral because I had a business trip
that was “critical to my career.” We are
one of 19 grandchildren and only two of
us didn’t make it to the funeral. To this
day, I don’t remember what that very
important “career-altering” opportunity
was. Show up for family. It matters.
Be kind and smile. It’s good for the soul,
it’s a mood-changer, it’s contagious and
… it attracts. Kindness and a smile are
the ultimate positive boomerangs.
I love you and hope you learn to love
yourself at a younger age. Self-love is a
journey. Consider yourself hugged.
Ajo
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