Journal 4 - Advice

A lot of people give me a lot of advice. I have gotten advice from my friends, from my family, from monks and many other people. I would usually listen to them but sometimes, I didn't care. Teachers give me advice about trying to be a better student and person. I listen to that. My parents tell me that I should be a better student and that I should play games less. Sometimes, I listen to that. I want to write about two pieces of advice I remember that two different people gave me. The first one is around 7th grade and the second one is the summer after 8th grade. When Leo, who left our school, was here, I almost got in trouble with this kid. Leo stopped me and told me that I shouldn't try to do anything if I don't have support. This made me think a lot. I ended up following his advice, staying out of fatal trouble. That kid's brother had a lot of connections and I might end up getting into big trouble. Another piece of advice I received was when I went to a monastery. I was a monk for around 17 days. In the end, I was ready to leave. It was then that an old monk called me to him and gave me advice. He told me to not do drugs, drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes etc. He also told me to get love from the six sides: the back, the front, the left, the right, the up and the down. I don't remember what they exactly are but I remember that it meant getting appreciation from your friends, your family, your parents, your teachers, your siblings, people who work for you and people you work for etc. First, I thought his advice was really long and boring. Later, I came to notice that there was a lot of good things to consider from what he told me. Starting from that moment, I try to listen to the advice people give to me. Sometimes, I would forget them but I hope I am improving over time.