Tag Archives: sayings

Be Safe, Be Smart

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Today my youngest daughter leaves the house for 6 weeks. It will be the longest time that my wife and I won’t have a kid in our house since our first daughter was born almost 25 years ago. It really makes me question, ‘Where does the time go?’

On the note of time flying by, I have no memory of when I started this, but for much of their teen and all of their young adult lives, I’ve had a little tradition for when I see my daughters off. Be it for a trip like this or even for a night out. In addition to ‘Love you,’ I always say, ‘Be safe, be smart.’

The response I enjoy hearing is, “Always.”

Four simple words of advice that probably give me more comfort than they give my daughters, but they both receive the advice and respond with polite grace… and at this point in my life, I think they will be living in their houses with their own families and I might still keep this tradition going.

And for anyone out there that needs to hear it, as you head out of the house and onto new adventures, be it a night out or a trip around the world, let me share a little advice: Be safe, be smart!

Staying stuck

I’ve just finished listening to Jay Shetty’s audiobook, ‘Think Like a Monk‘, and I’m going through my bookmarks. One worth sharing is,

‘I wish’ is code for ‘I don’t want to do anything differently’.

The word wish is a verb, it’s an action, but a passive one. Wishing doesn’t involve planning, or taking action, or for that matter changing or moving in any way towards the thing you wish for.

Furthermore, the things we wish for often aren’t as desirable as we think. Like all the stories about genies that grant three wishes, the things we think we want might not end up giving us what we really desire. And again, wishing doesn’t make things happen.

Sure we can have positive affirmations, and wishing can help us envision a better future, but it’s our actions that define the kind of future you will have. This brings me to another bookmark,

Who you are is not what you say, but how you behave.

We don’t grow, we don’t ‘unstick’ ourselves from the patterns we are stuck in by wishing our way out. It’s our actions, our behaviours, that help us grow. Still, go ahead and wish upon a falling star or an eyelash, or blowing out birthday candles. By all means feel free to make a wish… but then make plans if you ever want to see that wish come through.