Perrysburg Pulse Magazine Perrysburg Pulse November | Page 21

deposit and save up hours into a fictitious
sleep account and withdraw rest when 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 best-selling 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.
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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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