From Aunt Mandy

Gabriel, Gracesyn & Lilly.

Lose the ignorance, not innocence of life.

A personal motto I pass to you because as you grow, you’ll see there’s always forks in the road that meet you with every decision.

You’ll fall, experience heartbreak, fail and learn what pain is.

We all have, and every time you get up you meet one of these forks.

Which way will you go, and how will you let experiences mold you?

The world will try to steal your innocence each time, and as you grow older, the harder it is to hold onto.

You’ll realize it’s not all sunshine and roses, but stand tall and understand that’s why I see every decision as a fork in the road. It’s up to you.

Be kind, be positive, be strong and hold onto the fact that this world can be good.

You’re created with a purpose, and although life is a mess, it’s a beautiful one.

Don’t get stuck in a bubble of comfort, dive head first into adventure and the unknown.

Then you’ll see the meaning of this motto.

You’ll lose ignorance and still hold onto a precious sense innocence that many tend to lose with age, all just in how you perceive and react to things.

Have a full life of experience, gain knowledge, go on grand adventures, learn from everyone, take opportunities, be strong in what you believe, but be humble and stay grounded.

And don’t worry you won’t be out there alone, you’ll always have a pretty good group watching your back.

So don't forget, lose the ignorance, not innocence of life

It’s your world young ones, stay mighty. 

<3

WHAT'S YOUR BRAND

You are your own brand.

That brand is who you are and who you are striving to become.

All of your actions, words and influence are what others will take as a representation of that brand.

That is the difficult part.

You are in control of whether people endorse you and how you carry your brand, or whether they don’t.

Talent alone cannot do this for a brand.

Your language, poise, respect, character, leadership, empathy, passion, composure, consistency, knowledge, reliability, and uniqueness does... the list is continual.

So make sure you know who you are and who you’re striving to be.

Then carry that out clearly.

How do your daily actions represent you as your own brand?

Find positive synergy with other people that endorse and encourage you as a person, and vice versa.

Don’t just go through the motions, only you can represent the brand you carry. That brand is YOU