What’s the best advice you’d give to someone younger than you?

There are so many bits of advice one can give, only if we know the circumstances can we hope to give the pertinent advice. So the advice I give is for a recurring situation I have experienced when I was young. …. I would always hang back, thinking everyone else was better than me and what I had to say was probably unimportant.

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This is my advice

If you are someone who hangs back with your words, know that your contributions are often more valuable than you realise. If you talk all the time, know that you can trim what you are saying, most of the time, and we will still understand you.

The quiet one and the talkative one need to work together.

It is important to encourage those, who have a quiet disposition, to share their ideas and the only way to do that is if the talkative people keep quiet and invite the quietness to pervade the room.

You might find quiet people communicate with pictures, drawings, songs and metaphors. Often the quiet ones have the ability to observe, reflect and empathize. They add what was overlooked. I’m not saying talkative people can’t do these things but if they are so busy talking, not listening, not observing or empathising with others or themselves, then they might miss out on this experience. On the other hand if quiet people only observe, reflect and empathize without sharing, they are withholding the gifts they ought to be sharing.

The quiet one and the talkative one have the potential of enriching each other’s lives if they edit their own behaviour for everyone’s sake.

And that is why I would say ‘edit your behaviour, ask yourself ‘how best can I show up to benefit others, as well as myself ?”

You will know if you are the talkative one or the quiet one in the situation.

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Personal feedback on how I am doing.

I find it challenging when my mind and creative ideas are leaps and bounds ahead of my recovery. Energy seems to evade me but in my pacing life I enjoy what I can do. (I just want to do a lot more). We have even had more family visiting which is always a blessing. I’m looking forward to fullness of health returning to me soon.

Take care

~Morag Noffke ~