Advice

Last night a friend invited a group of men to j a dinner to celebrate his son’s 13th birthday.  Each of us was encouraged to share our experiences, wisdom and advice with his son as he continues the journey into manhood.  It was a fantastic evening and I suspect that those of us who received the invitation were blessed as much (if not more) than my friend and his son.

Here’s the advice and wisdom I shared with him – some of which comes from my dad to me.

1. Never buy cheap shoes.  Dad’s theory was that you spend a lot of your day on your feet so you want good shoes.

2. Never buy a cheap mattress.  Dad continued that you spent the rest of your day in bed so you want a good night’s sleep.

I added the following to Dad’s wisdom.

3. Whenever you get a chance to travel – travel.  We live in an amazing world and we should take every opportunity to go out and see it.   It doesn’t matter if you are sleeping on the floor or on a train – travel.  

4. Take more risks.  Study after study and life after life confirm that our deepest regrets are always the risks we didn’t take.  Ask out someone way out of your league.  Apply for a job way over your head.  Try out for a team you have no hope of making.  Run for an office you can’t win.  You never know what might happen.  The girl way out of my league said “yes” and “I do!”

5. Don’t wait.  Back in 1981 we traveled to the Orange Bowl to watch Clemson play Nebraska for the National Championship.  We were broke – so we slept of the floor at a hotel room provided for the band and I have no idea how we ate (I think by crashing tailgaters).  If we had waited until we could afford it to attend a National Championship Game for Clemson – we would still be waiting (though I have hope hopes based on our last couple of recruiting classes)!

6. Live generously.  More and more I am discovering that wealthy people don’t become generous.  Generous people become wealthy.  Start living generously with whatever you have now.

7. Make loving God and loving our neighbors more than just a phrase.  A life built on love is the only kind of life worth living and Jesus meant it when He promised that when we get loving God and loving our neighbors right everything else falls into place.