"Moppy's Letter"
I feel extremely honored to be able to share "Moppy's Letter" with my readers.
My grandmother, whom I call Moppy, began to draft this message years ago to give to us, her grandchildren.
This compilation is not only personal and passionate but a perfect summary of Moppy; meaningful, warm, and inspired.
"Moppy’s Letter"
Parents want to take the very best of what they’ve learned and pass it on to their children – to make their lives easier, to remove the potential difficulties and failures they themselves experienced growing up.
Grandparents also want to pass on experiences - but by the time you’re a grandparent, you realize you can’t remove the obstacles or the pain of growing up. That’s all an important part of growing up, and without these experiences, you wouldn’t turn out quite as well. Think of the tough times as learning experiences, very important to your development.
I want share some interesting insights, and why they may be important in your lives. The real goal is to grow up and be your own person -- and to be the very best person you can be. But in getting there, here are some personal thoughts.
· Set goals for yourself. In life, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.
The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether s/he can win, but whether s/he can overcome the flaws.
· The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and too easily achieving our mark. We must challenge ourselves to go higher than we think we can go.
· There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.
· Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t do something until you try.
· The more people say you can’t do something, the harder you should try to do it.
· Surround yourself with people who believe in you. These are your real friends.
· Use your imagination. Albert Einstein, a most brillian man, said that imagination is more important than knowledge.
· It’s ok to make mistakes. The secret is to learn something each time you make a mistake so you avoid making it again. If you haven’t learned something, the mistake is wasted.
· As a teenager or young adult, try to make decisions from the perspective of, “what would I think of this decision looking back at age 60?”
· Life doesn’t give you something for nothing.
· Work at something you really love. Learn from the best. And when you get good enough, work for yourself, not someone else. The best boss you can have is yourself.
· To my granddaughters: Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you. If you’re not absolutely sure what “gracious” is, look it up.
· The “brick walls” we face are there not to keep us out, but to show us how much we want something.
· People are more important than things.
· Always have fun! If you’re not having fun, change what you’re doing.
· Feel passionionate about your work and it will never seem like work.
· Live with integrity (look this one up too) – always tell the truth.
· Always apologize in three parts: I’m sorry; I screwed up; what can I do to make it right?
· Show gratitude.
· Don’t complain – just work harder.
· Character development is the true aim of education.
· When a child is born, so is a mom.
· What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail? Try it even if you might fail. You’ll never know otherwise.
January 2013
My grandmother, whom I call Moppy, began to draft this message years ago to give to us, her grandchildren.
This compilation is not only personal and passionate but a perfect summary of Moppy; meaningful, warm, and inspired.
"Moppy’s Letter"
Parents want to take the very best of what they’ve learned and pass it on to their children – to make their lives easier, to remove the potential difficulties and failures they themselves experienced growing up.
Grandparents also want to pass on experiences - but by the time you’re a grandparent, you realize you can’t remove the obstacles or the pain of growing up. That’s all an important part of growing up, and without these experiences, you wouldn’t turn out quite as well. Think of the tough times as learning experiences, very important to your development.
I want share some interesting insights, and why they may be important in your lives. The real goal is to grow up and be your own person -- and to be the very best person you can be. But in getting there, here are some personal thoughts.
· Set goals for yourself. In life, you won’t go far unless you know where the goalposts are.
The true hero is flawed. The true test of a champion is not whether s/he can win, but whether s/he can overcome the flaws.
· The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and too easily achieving our mark. We must challenge ourselves to go higher than we think we can go.
· There is no dishonor in losing the race. There is only dishonor in not racing because you are afraid to lose.
· Don’t ever tell yourself you can’t do something until you try.
· The more people say you can’t do something, the harder you should try to do it.
· Surround yourself with people who believe in you. These are your real friends.
· Use your imagination. Albert Einstein, a most brillian man, said that imagination is more important than knowledge.
· It’s ok to make mistakes. The secret is to learn something each time you make a mistake so you avoid making it again. If you haven’t learned something, the mistake is wasted.
· As a teenager or young adult, try to make decisions from the perspective of, “what would I think of this decision looking back at age 60?”
· Life doesn’t give you something for nothing.
· Work at something you really love. Learn from the best. And when you get good enough, work for yourself, not someone else. The best boss you can have is yourself.
· To my granddaughters: Be pretty if you can, be witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you. If you’re not absolutely sure what “gracious” is, look it up.
· The “brick walls” we face are there not to keep us out, but to show us how much we want something.
· People are more important than things.
· Always have fun! If you’re not having fun, change what you’re doing.
· Feel passionionate about your work and it will never seem like work.
· Live with integrity (look this one up too) – always tell the truth.
· Always apologize in three parts: I’m sorry; I screwed up; what can I do to make it right?
· Show gratitude.
· Don’t complain – just work harder.
· Character development is the true aim of education.
· When a child is born, so is a mom.
· What would you try if you knew you couldn’t fail? Try it even if you might fail. You’ll never know otherwise.
January 2013