Sitting at a dumpling shop in the suburbs of Seattle, finishing the final sips of a beer with a name I cannot pronounce, our bill is placed on the table. After final pleasantries are exchanged and the awkwardness of how we are splitting the bill is decided, I pick up a fortune cookie. I read my lotto numbers, flip the slip of paper over, digest the wisdom, add “in bed,” and devour the stale cookie.

Then inspiration strikes. As a writer, you have to take it when it comes. Suddenly, I am presented with an opportunity to write my own fortunes for mass consumption. After some overthinking on my part, this is the wisdom I would depart to a full customer on his or her journey toward enlightenment.

Life is a collection of experiences. You decide the rest. Good things happen. Bad things do too. Most of it will be pretty mundane, but you possess tremendous power. You get to decide how to react and what you will do with the collection.

We write our own stories. In the snap of a finger, you will no longer find yourself under the rule of your parents. But long before you leave their protective care, you will begin to write your own story. Every choice, every reaction, and everything thrust upon you will add a new paragraph to that story.

Forgiveness is freeing. We may not be able to ever truly forget, but we can forgive. When we do, we experience incomprehensible freedom on par with the power and awesomeness of some celestial creator.

Guilt never really goes away. And I do not think you want it to truly leave. It should serve as a motivator. When we can turn our pain into power, the world becomes a much less intimidating place. We also give birth to an opportunity to make a real and measurable difference.

It is time for women to lead. I look around and see systems created by men and the unintended/intended harm caused by people with the best of intentions or evil in their hearts. It is time to make space for women. It is time for a different way of looking at the world.

Showing up is half the battle. I imagine for many of us, showing up is the hardest part. Walking through the door, catching that flight, or making the leap, takes a tremendous amount of courage, but it is also only half of what we need to accomplish.

Silence is underrated. The world is noisy and distracting. Everything around us seems to be designed to steal our attention. Do yourself a favor and make space for silence. I promise you will feel more relaxed, relieved, and more connected to yourself in the end.

Smart people are too quiet. People with bad ideas have no qualms about being the loudest person in the room. Loud people become President of the United States, but the work of quiet people is what moves us forward as a society. In an age when intellectualism and curiosity seem to be negative attributes, smart people must make room for themselves and ensure their ideas are the leading force in public dialogue.

Be good to each other,

Nathan 

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