Part of taking care of yourself is taking care of the community. If you can do something for people other than yourself — some sort of community service, some sort of work that is not just about getting your goals achieved — it will pay you back.
You never know when you’re going to meet somebody who can offer you insight that’s really helpful. You never know when you’re going to meet friends who in turn inspire you do something that helps you grow as a person. Keep on looking for opportunities to volunteer and to go meet people and don’t stay narrowly focused on one particular objective.
If there is one thing that I want to tell younger people it’s that you need to open your eyes and your ears to what other people have to say. Don’t just accept what the internet or your parents or your teachers or your friends tell you as the truth. Don’t just repeat back something that somebody said because it sounds compelling but understand why you have the opinions that you do and challenge the ideas that you hear.
Be skeptical. Be critical. Keep on investigating. Develop your critical thinking skills in school. And you respect your parents, but you don’t have to do everything that they do. They had their turn to make the choices now you don’t have to make all the same choices. You can make your own choices. — 40-something, PhD, Educator, mother, wife, CA
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