the best advice i've ever gotten...from dad to daughter:

1. Think for yourself, but be willing to learn from others. Be skeptical, but not cynical. Be optimistic, but not naive.

2. Make the world a better place for having been born. You will struggle from time to time making sense of life on this planet. However, you can never go wrong with looking for and acting on activities that will improve the world around you. That's enough meaning to last a life time.

3. Be flexible and adaptable with others, but don't compromise your core values, beliefs, and integrity.

4. Be open with others, but always keep a bit of mysteriousness and your own nobility to yourself.

5. Always be open to new and improved information that may change your mind.

6. Be forgiving of yourself and others. Everyone messes up from time to time. Learn from yours and others mistakes and move on. Too much time can be spent focusing on guilt for our own mistakes and criticism pointed at other's mistakes. Quick spring showers of guilt change our behavior, but torrential downpours of guilt just burden us to the point of paralysis.

7. Be willing to place your pinky outside of your comfort zone daily. Those that do this embrace life and its challenges with optimism; those that don't imprison themselves by their own fears of failure. Every new experience (positive or negative) is a new opportunity to learn and grow. Be brave and push yourself- you won't regret it.

8. Learn as much as you can now because after your mid to late twenties you may never have as much time and energy as you will during your late teens and early twenties. Absorb information and new ideas- this will increase your personal power like few other things can.

9. Don't personalize others' opinions, beliefs, or actions. Everyone is very different. Some will like you; others won't. Some will agree with you; others won't. It all comes from their frame of reference and you can't control that. Be humble, honest, and kind and most decent people will appreciate and like you. Be civil to the others and move on. However, if you find that a few trusting people are giving you similar kinds of feedback- listen and be open to changing your ways.

10. Fill your mind and soul with great music (however you define that). As Neitzche once said, "Life would not be worth living without music."

11. Finding a mate? Don't get too preoccupied with it...it'll just happen. Wait as long as you can. There must be a romantic spark, but don't let that spark or infatuation eclipse the most reliable qualities of a life long partner (i.e. responsibility, hard worker, respectful, intelligent, blah blah...). Always employ the "four season" test. Date for at least four seasons before bringing up any crazy talk of marriage. I hope you are as lucky as I have been in having your mom for my life long partner!

12. Be charitable, kind, and helpful to others. You can't go wrong with these. These qualities make you and the recipient happier. Don't forget to have fun and laugh REALLY hard a few times a day.

Love you,

Dad.