2020 has been a hard year, it’s been filled with sadness, loss, anxiety, and uncertainty. With all the situations the world was forced to face, many of us are feeling either scared of what may come in 2021 or eager to leave this year behind and ready to get on with the new one. Whatever your feelings are, advice for a new beginning is always enriching, and it can come from different people, some of whom you wouldn’t expect them to give you a piece of their wisdom. Even children have something valuable to contribute. 

 

Chase your dreams. Don’t do bad stuff. Never let go of your inner child.

 

These simple but powerful tips come from a ten-year-old boy who is about to start third grade. At such a young age, and with many years ahead of him, this little guy already has so much wisdom to share. 2020 was a year in which many people thought was going to be “their year”, and when things started circling the drain with the pandemic and all the other issues that impacted the world, many stopped chasing their dreams. When we stop fighting for what we want, we also let go of our inner child, who used to believe that nothing was impossible and always lived life to the fullest. 

 

Do not expect anything from anyone and allow people to surprise you.

 

This one comes from a 23-year-old guy who just got his degree in communications and is about to go out into the world and live the “adult life”. The higher expectations you have on someone or something, the easier it is to get disappointed; it’s heartbreaking when those expectations aren’t fulfilled. They put people in boxes and stops them from being themselves and showing their true colours. People are constantly evolving, and one can never know someone to the fullest, which is why we should be open to knowing whatever side someone wants to show us. You never know the surprises a person can present. 

 

Start saving and dare to do all those things that will make you grow. 

 

Everyone wishes they could say something to their past or future self. This piece of advice comes from a 48-year-old woman, a mother of three, and someone who has overcome many things in life; it’s a message to her 20-year-old self. A basic life lesson that many forget or don’t know about its importance is saving. One may think that rich people spend all the money they earn, but it’s quite the opposite, they only spend a small percentage and save the rest; it doesn’t matter how old you are, start saving. The second part of this piece of advice doesn’t necessarily talk about money. There are many situations when we don’t do certain things out of fear, but those situations that we sometimes avoid are the ones that are going to make us grow.

 

Put your phone down.

 

This one comes from a 71-year-old lady. Someone who has lived most of her life without technology; someone who knows how to live in the moment and look at things through her own eyes and not through a screen. Most people can admit that they are, in a way, addicted or enslaved by their phones. Whether it’s social media or work, our lives revolve around our devices. Take a moment to look at the sky, to look at your family, to look at the beauty of life through your own eyes, and capture that sight in your memory.