Ladies and Gentlemen; good evening and welcome to another addition of “Real Talk” with Steph. So, lets chat!
I haven’t always been this old and “wise” in fact I once was a teenager like many that will read this. I know hard to believe, right? Like many teenagers, and adults, I have made decision I wasn’t proud of. I know how it feels to hit rock bottom and think that you’re the only one sitting in the dark. The silly and stupid decisions, however, are what made me who I am today. That rock bottom I hit once, or twice, made a good foundation to build on.
As many of you know, I talk for a living. Not in a public since, per se (Although its on my bucket list…Motivational Speaker ) but I find myself talking to all kinds of people in need of something and someone to listen to or will listen to them. I often find that my “mom” comes out in many of these conversations. Not my “mom” voice, but you know that “lets talk about whats going on and try to fix it” mom. So I’d like to share some of that “Mom wisdom” with you.
Its about QUALITY not QUANTITY:
Friends are nice to have. As teens many of us lived for our friends and thought that if we have several we won’t have to worry about getting left behind. The fact is that many of those so called “friends” aren’t really your friends at all. A friend is someone you can rely on. It’s someone that will walk through fire for you. A true friend is someone that you can go without talking to for days, weeks, and months and then one day meet up and pick up right where you left off without someone being hurt because they understand that life happens. Friends don’t talk behind your back and can keep those dark secrets that you may share. They don’t care where you bought your clothes, your social economic status, and are there for you when you need them most. They certainly don’t throw you under the bus or turn a blind eye when you need them most. A friend will call you out of the blue just to say hi and check on you. Your life is not depicted by the amount of friends you have, but by the quality of the people you choose to keep by your side.
Don’t air dirty laundry:
Small towns are notorious for talking about things and people no matter if they understand the situation or not. Find that one person to confide in and don’t give the rest something to talk about. I have been working on my social experiment for years, I guarantee you that the information that will get back to you is not the information that you have given. So unless you are like me and want to see what comes back around, its best not to poor your heart out to a stranger or a fake friend.
If I knew then what I know now, I’d be a millionaire:
First jobs are scary, but fun, and teach you all sort of things. I’m not a math genius, that gene skip a generation and I passed it on to my kids but I found myself talking to a young lady today about saving. Shes about to get her first paycheck and by god does she have plans. As we were talking about these plans, we started talking about saving money for a rainy day. What happens when you save $100 a month for 12 months? Say you decide to turn it into a game and start saving $100 a month for the next 3 years? You get to were you are graduating highschool and decide lets just keep going until you are 25? How much money would you have saved and what can you do with it? For those who are not good at math like me thats $100x 60 months = $6000 Thats starting at the age of 15. By the age of 30 she could save $18,000. The moral of the story is its never too late to save up for your future, no matter the job.
Be a Duck:
No not the “Mighty Ducks”, although that would be pretty awesome! Ducks are beautiful magical creatures that give us lessons if you’re willing to listen. Contrary to popular belief, ducks do not float. On the upside they are calm, moving effortlessly through the water. On the downside, however, they are working overtime to stay afloat; moving their little feet, treading and flapping just to move along the water. Their feathers have oil that allows the rain and the water to roll off their back and the down allows them to stay warm when the weather turns. Your troubles might weigh you down, but keep moving your feet. Sooner or later it becomes easier to tread water. Those things that bother you, let them roll off your back. When you are feeling cold, cover yourself with positive thoughts and friends that will keep you warm. Don’t let it get to you and keep calm like a duck on a pond.
I’m going to leave you with a little saying. I don’t really know if its exact at this point, but one that I remember:
It doesn’t matter the jeans you wear or the friends you have; what matters is the person you become.
We all have something we strive for. Sometimes its the stepping stones that get us there.
Stephanie Hilt 