My advice to the younger generation is to give it all you’ve got. And you have plenty to give, even just starting out.
You have your time to give, and whenever you have heard an old timer say they would scrub toilets to get ahead, or that they would not ask a worker to do something they hadn’t done themselves, you too have your time and effort you can give toward your higher goals.
Give your attention and get as educated as you want or need to be. After some trifling paperwork, your attention is the most valuable part of a community college or trade school enrollment, and you own all of that required attention right now.
Pick a good company with a good boss and give your loyalty, a commodity he or she cannot even buy. And don’t talk yourself out of that to say loyalty is seldom rewarded. It almost always is rewarded but never enough in stories told later. It is a worthy part of the whole and one more thing you already have to give. Give it a shot.
And the same goes for giving your love, your whole heart, and your support to a wonderful mate, which cannot be replaced by all the rest together. A supportive partner has everything to do with your success, more than anything you will ever hold in your hand.
Give your faith that all this will work, blindly at first if required. This will not guarantee that it will all work, but that faith, which you already freely have to give, is what joins the links of your chain together.
All these things you can do starting tomorrow morning, without a dime yet to your name. You have but one real go at the whole scope of your life; give it all you’ve got and don’t wait to start. You have everything you need already to give it your all.
David Sullins, California
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I am semi-retired from a family business that is going on to a third generation. I am in the process of writing a book about the history of the company and my life experiences, for my grandson mostly. Below is some of the advice I wrote in my book.
Advice for the next generation:
Practice humility. Controlling your temper and emotions leads to so many benefits from more friendships, better teamwork, and thinking more about others than about yourself.
Be frugal. As a business owner, you can never run out of cash. You need to be frugal, as you never know when that unexpected storm will hit. It is a good way to be environmentally conscious too! Live below your means. This reduces financial stress and keeps life simple and easier.
Do everything in moderation. Whether it is drinking, TV, or having fun, do it in moderation and you will enjoy life more and miss life events less.
Do not expect work to be easy. One of the best things my father did for me was to have me work my way up the company ladder, starting with cleaning the floors and toilets. I believe you should not handicap your children by making their lives too easy.
Love is a four-letter word spelled “G-I-V-E.” Be a giving person. It is important to give and make a difference in the lives of everyone you meet. I like this Jackie Robinson quote: “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.”
Be thankful and grateful. Being grateful is easy when things are going well. It is important also to be grateful when life is a struggle. Things will get better.
Do more than you are asked. Go the extra mile on and off the job.
Don’t look back. People tend to dwell on the past. Don’t look into the rearview mirror too long. Learn from yesterday, live today, and lean into tomorrow.
Don’t play the blame game. Take personal responsibility, always.
When things don’t go according to plans, don’t panic. Improvise, adapt, overcome! You cannot think clearly when stressed out.
It is always right to do the right thing, as it is always wrong to do the wrong thing. Doing the right thing is never wrong, even if it puts you out of your comfort zone.
Self-reflection results in self-improvement. At the end of the day, reflect on what went well, what did not, and what you can to make things better next time.
Be disciplined. This is one of the most important attributes. Once you learn something beneficial, make it routine. I have a lot of exercise routines I do daily to prevent injury. One of my sayings is: The older you get, the harder you must work to stay young! Another of my sayings is that pain is fine if it does not linger in the same place too long. The Marines like to say that “pain is weakness leaving the body.”
I once had an assistant who made me coffee every morning when I arrived at work. At the time, I was putting two packets of sugar in my coffee. She told me that was too much sugar. I quit putting any sugar in my coffee that day. The ironic part of the story is that she left our employment to work for her family business, which was wholesale cotton candy—pure sugar!
Learn from history. Ronald Reagan once said that we are only one generation away from communism. Learn from history by reading The Epoch Times, and beware of communism. Be a great American!
Once you are a leader, success is all about growing others.
Gratefully,
David “Mickey” Nolen, Florida
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What advice would you like to give to the younger generations?
We call on all of our readers to share the timeless values that define right and wrong and pass the torch, if you will, through your wisdom and hard-earned experience. We feel that the passing down of this wisdom has diminished over time and that only with a strong moral foundation can future generations thrive.
Send your advice, along with your full name, state, and contact information to [email protected] or mail it to: Next Generation, The Epoch Times, 229 W. 28th St., Floor 7, New York, NY 10001. 
