Fatherly wisdom

Today my daughter turns 18 years old. Wow, time flown has by.

One of her friends is putting together a present that includes letters from her friends and family. This gave me the wonderful opportunity to write her a letter reminiscing about her life and telling her how proud of her I am - and also giving her advice for the future.

This is the advice I gave her:

• First and foremost, have fun and enjoy life.
• Don’t take stupid risks, take sensible risks.
• Don’t be afraid to make mistakes as this is how we learn.
• Always work hard - doing so will give you an edge over nearly everyone else. However remember there is life outside work so it is about having a balance - work should not dominate everything you do.
• Do your best - How many times have you heard me say this? You can never do more than that.
• It is very easy to forget your health as you get older and life gets busy - look at me. Sometimes it takes a conscious effort to stay healthy.
• Don’t care what others think - ignore unkind words, wear what you like (I may still get to comment on this), stand up to peer pressure when you need to and ignore social media comments.
• Love will find you when it is ready - there is no need to rush to find it.
• Always look to help others, no matter how small the task or difference you make. It is an easy way to change lives and will come back to bless you later.
• Rely on God - He is always with you.
• Build great friendships - they will help you navigate and enjoy life and be there through the highs and lows.
• Being me, I have to mention reading books. For non-fiction - decades of study compressed into something that takes less than 24 hours to consume. For fiction it can take you to another world and another life.
• Life is full of choices. I once worked with someone who said when he has a choice to make he will pick the one that is the most interesting. Maybe this is the way to do it, maybe it is pick the one that is the most fun or the one that is the most challenging. You will find a way to navigate life.
• Whatever you do try and keep smiling.