Contents

Introduction

Today I decided that my wonderful grandmother’s advice must be shared with the world — for it is a true treasure chest of life’s wisdom!

Grandma is living her best life: for nearly three quarters of a century she has walked side by side with the man she loves. She has four close-knit children, nine grandchildren, and already seven great-grandchildren. We adore gathering for holidays and spending time together — usually at our grandparents’ house.

But Grandma hasn’t only raised children. She worked, built businesses, and traveled the world. Just a couple of years ago she and Grandpa went on a cruise through the Mediterranean, and last year they flew to Italy to hear Tosca at La Scala — simply because they wanted to hear an Italian opera live. Needless to say, that trip inspired them to tour Europe, and they didn’t come back home for an entire month!

My grandmother is not the type who gets up at five to milk a cow or insists that everyone plant potatoes every spring. Nor is she the type to complain about poor eyesight or gossip about neighbors. If there is anyone in this world who truly knows how to love themselves, others, and life itself — it is her!

In short, she is my compass in life. And I thought that anyone would be interested to hear what such an extraordinary woman thinks and says about life. So I’ve tried to gather as many of her insights as I could, on the widest range of life’s themes.

Advice 1

Never betray yourself. If you feel a pull to apply to the conservatory but instead choose accounting because it seems safer and more rational, you are breaking the greatest law of life: the law of free will — your own free will. Your mind might force you to settle, but your soul will never forgive you. And one day, when it’s truly too late, that wound will ache far more than any physical illness ever could.

Advice 2

Never believe anything or anyone 100%. Not because people always lie, but because every one of us is living this life for the first time, and anyone can be mistaken about anything. I only realized at forty that all the knowledge I had was a stew made of things I’d heard from other people. And not a single one of those things was an ultimate truth.

Whenever you hear something, ask yourself: «Do I like this information? Am I sure I want to take it as truth? Will it help me in life?» If not — leave room for doubt. Especially when you hear statements in absolute terms: «Everyone, nobody, never, always.»

We often believe «authoritative» sources: books, documentaries, news. But even those are created by ordinary people like you and me, and they, too, may carry errors and biases. After all, people once believed the earth was flat, and Columbus was convinced he had reached the shores of India…

Advice 3

Never allow yourself to be a victim! Remember: living as a victim — no matter what the situation — is a choice, an unconditional surrender. «They hurt me,» «I can’t do it,» «I can’t find a good job» — these are all chains of choices.

If you truly lack the strength and confidence to move forward, then give yourself a single day to cry, to suffer — but then get back up and keep going. Nothing good ever comes out of victimhood. And you don’t want to live a bleak, empty life where most of your energy is spent on complaints and self-pity, do you?