Curious Incidents of a Flailing Mermaid

If you enjoy something, it can’t be stupid!

30-Day Blogging Challenge – day Fourteen
Prompt: What is the one piece of advice you have received that you'll always carry with you?


As a motivational speaker and mentor type thing, I give out advice all the time. Most of my advice is well thought out and used over and over again. Sometimes, however, it just falls out my month before I even know what has happened.
The advice that just falls out is either really good, and I use it again, or so awful that even I want to tell myself to shut up. The latter is very rare, though, and I always cover it up well… it is fine! I swear!

Occasionally, I offer advice and I think “huh, maybe I should take that on board myself”. For example, today I was doing some one-one sessions with some boys who are coming up to their final exams at school but are not doing too well. Everything I said would have been useful when I was failing school at their age! If only I could’ve gone back in time and tell myself. But then, I had to learn the hard way and I quite like that.

Many people have given me hundreds of pieces of advice. Has any of it stuck? Probably, subconsciously. Can I remember any of it off the top of my head? No, not really!

I think Chris’ advice about being myself sticks out for me. For years, I hid things I liked to do from people for fear of being judged. In fact, I stopped writing for a long time because one of my exes told me it was stupid. When I got with Chris, I decided lay it all out there. We have a few conversations like this:

Me: I know it is stupid but look at my funky poem shaped like an ice cream
C: Did you enjoy doing it?
Me: Yeah, I guess so.
C: If you enjoy something, it can’t be stupid!
Me: Huh! *smiles*

Take my advice
Roll the dice
Hell, do it twice