Forum Members Advice you're most thankful for contest! 🍁

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alexj-12

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Hi everybody! We're starting a contest now to hear the advice you're most thankful for. Tell us the best advice you've gotten and and the advice with the most reactions will win!

The contest will end November 29th and then we'll announce the winner!

Rules:
You can give multiple pieces of advice, but each of them will be scored separately.
Any reaction counts as a vote (i.e. the reaction doesn't need to just be a like, but can be any reaction).

Prize:
The member with the highest reaction score will get a special "contest winner" user banner, a $10 Amazon gift card, and a 3 month gold member user upgrade.

We're excited to see all of your advice and good luck everyone!

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I am thankful to my 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Barnes, who after hearing me say "I'm not allowed to eat dinosaur meat" during a class party, patiently clarified to my immigrant ass that tatertots were in fact delicious fried golden potato chunks and not dinosaur meat. Tatertots.... not triceratops..... it really truly changed my life. I will never forget you Mrs. Barnes. Happy Thanksgiving 🍂🍁
 
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The best advice I have ever received was from my uncle when I was about 17 (funny but he doesn't remember ever telling me that!): the world will do whatever the world will do, you cannot do anything about it - but how you react to it is entirely within your power. It took me a while to fully internalize it, but it's a great way to not stress out about things other people do or say, or random events entirely outside my control. I do what I can to prepare for whatever life might throw at me but don't try to play God and control everything.
 
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Growing up, I was a bit of a know it all 😬 and important advice I was given was posed as a question: "Is it more important to be right or to be kind?" I am really thankful for that advice, because I'm sure I have a lot more friends and am a much better therapist because of it.

Here is one of my favorite quotes that reflects a similar message:

"There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind."

- Fred Rogers ("Mister Rogers")
 
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My most favorite though, maybe not advice exactly but a lesson, is to "take a moment to remember those who have loved you into becoming". This is also from Fred Rogers, often included in his speech as a moment of silence to think of these special people. Remembering who has helped me along the journey of grad school (and the journey of life) has really helped my emotional health as well as my relationships, because remembering these people often makes me reach out to say hello and express my gratitude. I hope it makes them feel as good as it does me!
 
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My mentor, a nurse and clinic supervisor of 30+ years, and someone I credit a great deal to my recent acceptance into medical school once told me, "Within reason, fight like hell. Never stop advocating for yourself." I grew so much in the two years working alongside her, and I shed many ugly tears when she retired a few weeks ago. Love her to death.
 
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The best advice I got is that it is okay to not feel loved. Thanks dad
 
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The best advice I got was to focus on myself and not worry about what others are doing.
I was feeling kind of down about myself when I first entered grad school and I really had re-evaluate my views on myself and the world.

It was hard being a 3rd time applicant, entering vet school at the age of 25, and my friends from back home were all set in their careers, one bought a house, several in relationships, and here I was not just making no money but putting myself into thousands and thousands of dollars of debt when I could be having a real career.

I realized that I was having fun despite all that and there wasn't anything else I'd rather be doing. Plus, being single meant having more time to build some friggin awesome friendships. So yeah, we all take different paths in life and as long as you're doing what you love and are having fun there is no sense in comparing yourself to others.
 
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The best advice I got was to focus on myself and not worry about what others are doing.
I was feeling kind of down about myself when I first entered grad school and I really had re-evaluate my views on myself and the world.

It was hard being a 3rd time applicant, entering vet school at the age of 25, and my friends from back home were all set in their careers, one bought a house, several in relationships, and here I was not just making no money but putting myself into thousands and thousands of dollars of debt when I could be having a real career.

I realized that I was having fun despite all that and there wasn't anything else I'd rather be doing. Plus, being single meant having more time to build some friggin awesome friendships. So yeah, we all take different paths in life and as long as you're doing what you love and are having fun there is no sense in comparing yourself to others.
I love this- I left social media 5+ years ago, and although the fomo was kind of hard at first, it's great not and I've never regretted it. Only lost contact with a handful of people who were kind of npc in my life anyway. It feels so great to not have to waste brain energy focusing on meaningless things. Mental health is great and boy oh boy, so much time to actually do things outside of the screen!
 
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No matter where you go, there you are. Don't just do something, stand there. Be, in the moment.

Many years ago, a guy I knew told me of this. You don't have to be a Buddhist to live kinda like one, with mindfulness, he told me. I was a mess, all over the place, and this was like an anchoring point.
 
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The best advice I got was to focus on myself and not worry about what others are doing.
I was feeling kind of down about myself when I first entered grad school and I really had re-evaluate my views on myself and the world.

It was hard being a 3rd time applicant, entering vet school at the age of 25, and my friends from back home were all set in their careers, one bought a house, several in relationships, and here I was not just making no money but putting myself into thousands and thousands of dollars of debt when I could be having a real career.

I realized that I was having fun despite all that and there wasn't anything else I'd rather be doing. Plus, being single meant having more time to build some friggin awesome friendships. So yeah, we all take different paths in life and as long as you're doing what you love and are having fun there is no sense in comparing yourself to others.
This is really good advice. I suspect that most healthcare students are used to being the big fish in a small pond and going from undergrad to professional school can be quite the adjustment. Learning first-hand that comparison is the thief of joy can be really tough.
 
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