Alberto García 🚀🚀🚀

#15. Please don’t believe everything they say on TV.

Grandparents should be eternal, but they are not.

So, yesterday I did something crazy and asked my Twitter audience (116k people) for the best lesson they received from their grandparents.

And the tweet already has more than 35 thousand views and almost 180 responses.

From those 180 responses, I’ve selected the best life lessons and anecdotes from grandparents worldwide for you.

Let’s start

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1. Don’t spend what you don’t have

Yobi’s grandmother always said, “never ask for an advance because you can’t live on a salary you haven’t earned yet.”

Remember: if you spend what you don’t have, you will pay interest on the consequences.

2. Helping others always brings rewards.

Daniel’s mother needed surgery and could not afford it. And a miracle happened: the best doctor in her area operated on her mother in gratitude to her grandfather. Daniel’s grandfather helped the doctor financially when Daniel was just a child.

Lesson: All the good you do comes back to you.

3. He who loves you well gives you wings to fly

Dafne wanted to play Hokey in Argentina and was afraid to tell her parents and leave Mexico, but her grandmother supported her; she told her, “we will always be here when you come back.”

Moral: who loves you well, takes away your fear, and pushes you to pursue your dreams.

4. Folk wisdom is folk wisdom for a reason.

Grandparents are famous for their sayings.

• “There is no prettier word than the one that stays inside” — Luisa’s grandmother.
• “Don’t waste your youth in making your old age miserable” — William’s grandmother.
• “You may stay under a bridge, but your studies will never take them away” — Mojardin’s Grandparents.
• “Measure ten times and cut only once” — Angel’s Grandfather.
• “Hear, see, and be silent. And the donkey will discover itself” — Grandparents of María José.

And it is normal because all these sayings are full of truth.

5. It’s the first chances that count

María Eugenia’s grandparents always said, “there is no second chance to make a good first impression.”

I can attest to this: overcoming a wrong first impression is much more complex than people think.

6. Sharing is loving

Militza’s grandmother, whenever she was invited to try a sweet biscuit, would take it, cut it in two, and give her share to her granddaughter.

Militza’s grandmother knew that life is more important to give than to receive because sharing is loving.

Papo’s grandmother always gave him bread and jam, the only thing she had in the pantry. Papo’s grandmother lived to be 110 years old.

So having a good heart and sharing what you have with others seems to extend life 🙂

7. Taking responsibility

Maria’s grandfather was a cabinetmaker, and he hired a helper for a job that the church commissioned him to do.

The assistant dropped a stained glass window, and he apologized to his grandfather when it shattered. But instead of reprimanding him, Maria’s grandfather said, “It’s not your fault. It’s mine for hiring you.

Moral of the story: we often blame others, but it is also our fault for trusting the wrong person.

8. The small things are the biggest

Jaime’s grandfather cared for him as if he were his father and taught him to see the miracle of life in small things.

Jaime recalls with nostalgia those road trips with his grandfather when they both sang the songs on the radio at the top of their lungs.

Note: the best memories come at the most unexpected moments. 
(Happiness is in those moments).

9. You have to survive the tears

Jimena’s grandmother used to tell her, “Don’t let grief drown you unnecessarily.”

Jimena’s grandmother was right: sometimes you must cry but can’t stay crying forever. And neither can we exaggerate our sorrows so much that they destroy us.

Remember: often, we let ourselves drown in glasses of water because we make mountains out of molehills.

10. People also live in our memories

Martha’s grandfather taught her that people only die when they forget them.

That is why Martha still remembers her grandfather 30 years after his death; her grandfather is still alive in her mind.

Reflection: we are not only as we think we are but also as others perceive us, and when we die, only that part of us will remain; the part that others perceive. That is why it is essential to be a good person: to be remembered well.

11. Desire is more important than age

Juan Carlos’ grandfather was illiterate all his life. But in his old age, he learned to read, which changed his life.

His grandson, on the other hand, discovered, thanks to his grandfather’s living example, that if you want to, you can.

Note: When you want to, age is just a number on your ID card.

12. Be honest and honest, and you will never be short of work

Elena’s grandfather worked as a delivery boy, and he never kept merchandise or money that was not his.

He always returned to the store at the end of the day and gave back what was left over to the owner.

His co-workers laughed at him.

But guess who kept working and who got fired?

Note: Loyalty, honesty, and honesty are rising value in the labor market, now and forever.

13. Being nice is a superpower

Ilse’s grandfather always said, “Never lose the privilege of being nice to everyone. Because being nice means being easy to love, which is a competitive advantage today”.

Nowadays, people are fed up with lies and don’t want complications; life is hard enough.

When you are a good person, if you are polite and attentive, you are a magnet for others because few people are like that.

Tip: Being polite opens doors for both sentimental and professional people because often, it is not what you know but how you make others feel in your presence. And that goes for work and personal relationships.

14. Be proactive and break boundaries.

Cristina’s grandmother had a stroke, and despite having half her body paralyzed, she designed an adapted bicycle to improve her situation and to be able to move around the village and go to her vegetable garden.

Reading the story of Cristina’s grandmother made me realize that when necessity presses, intelligence sharpens.

Mental note: often, the limits of what we can and can’t do are only in our heads.

15. Do not believe everything they say on TV

Reme’s grandfather always said to her

“Don’t be afraid of anything or anyone; they’ve been saying that the world is ending since I was nine years old.”

I have heard this advice many times, and I believe it more and more.

Reflection: At every age, the population has been put in fear to make them more docile and give up their freedom in exchange for protection.

16. There are two types of people, those who help and those who have to be helped

And it is good for you to be in the first group because that means you are healthy.

Lena’s grandfather is a clear example of this; he had a truck, and when it was his day off, and the neighborhood ran out of water, he used it to go and fill water jugs and distribute them in his community.

When asked why he did this and never complained, he would say, “Thank God I am healthy, and I do this out of gratitude”.

Reminder: We all get older, and we will have to be helped at some point. So, if you are healthy and can help others: do it.

17. When you are an adult, you have to be an adult and set an example

Carolina’s grandfather had a type of cancer that made it difficult for him to get out of bed. But that didn’t stop him from getting up to look after his granddaughter if she was unwell.

Carolina says that one day when she felt sick, her grandfather got out of bed as best he could and brought her a painkiller with all the love in the world.

Carolina’s grandfather was dying, and even then, he knew he was responsible for caring for her granddaughter.

Remember: we veterans must take care of the rookies so they learn from our example to apply when it is their turn to care for the new generations.

18. Normal is not always normal

My grandmother worked as an intern for a wealthy family in Salamanca when she was 14.

On her day off, she would take the leftovers from her boss’s lunch so her younger siblings would have something to eat.

And they made her say thank you for those leftovers: that was normal.

Today, thanks to her, I know that what is expected in society is not always normal.

It was not normal for underage girls to work as maids in the service of the powerful.

It was not normal that her brothers did not have to eat.

It was not normal that she had to give thanks for the leftovers.

It was neither normal nor moral.

And today, many things are not moral either, even if they are normal.

So be vigilant, apply the lessons of these wise grandparents, and don’t be fooled.

Remember: You only have one life; make the most of it.

A virtual hug

AG