The Best Advice I've Ever Received
Amy C. Horner, CPA, MBA
International Speaker | Strategic COO | Modern CFO | Adjunct Professor | Leadership Coach | CHIEF & Big 4 Alum | Pittsburgh Native | Div. II Athlete | #50races_50states 🏃♀️ 45 Completed
Here’s a question I hear regularly. What is the best piece of advice you’ve received?
Like any “best of” list, it can be a challenge to narrow it down. I’ll share one that comes to mind. We’ll call this (One of) The Best Piece(s) of Advice I’ve Received! Before I get into it, let me tell you a story.
It’s a gorgeous day in December. I’m in Kiawah Island, South Carolina, to run the annual marathon. Kiawah is beautiful and carefully developed to maintain the island’s original charm of marshland and pine trees. The island has minimal construction to allow natural beauty to remain the focal point.
And it’s hot. September hot. Not December hot. Although I trained diligently and was prepared for the mileage, my body was not prepared for weather that I hadn’t run in for months.
My parents had made the trip to cheer and provide race support. My father, another avid runner, had planned to run three to four miles once I neared Mile 20 to help me over that challenging milestone.
He ended up running closer to 8. I was completely gassed. It was HARD; unfortunately, the unexpected heat led to dehydration and poor running form. I was a mess.
As we neared the end of the race, with less than a mile remaining, we heard the crowd at the finish line. Suddenly, from my right to left, a woman on a cruiser bike crosses directly in front of me. Close enough that she almost hits me while wearing her big straw hat and cantaloupe top. Yep, that’s close.
I let out a list of obscenities that, perhaps impressive to some, was certainly not my finest moment. My father is not a big fan of words at the level of colorfulness that had erupted from me. That’s when it showed up—one of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever received.
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Bear Down
I gave him the side eye because turning my head would have required too much energy. I may have grunted. He repeated it.
Bear Down
For those unfamiliar with the phrase, it means to “move directly toward someone or something in a purposeful or intimidating manner” (Oxford Languages).
I finished my first marathon.
As for that piece of advice, it applies to any situation that requires determination to push through. This advice transcends many challenging conditions or circumstances in our professional and personal lives.
The next time you are faced with such, remember the image of that woman on the bicycle, my father’s sage advice, and Bear Down.
Cheers!
Strategic Consulting | Head of Business Development | CHIEF Member | Execution Savviness
1yDon’t put the keys to your happiness in someone else’s pocket.
Strategist, organizer, coach, trainer, facilitator, thought partner. Advancing social justice by helping individuals, campaigns, organizations & coalitions build long-term power while reaching short-term goals.
1yTrust the process (in context, the advice was spot on - essentially, don't feel pressured to make a decision until you've learned enough - including emotional insights - to see your way clear to the right choice)
High School Prinicpal at Peters Township High School
1ySounds like someone from western Pennsylvania, Steeler Tough!
Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author of "Something Major: The New Playbook for Women at Work"
1yLove it! Here’s mine: Work and life change constantly: if you’re doing it right you’ll learn how to scale yourself anew every 6 months.
Customer Experience Visionary | Organizational Culture Evangelist | Technologist | Founder & CEO The Petrova Experience
1yDon't just exist, live. Many times we get consumed by life that we forget the joy of living so learn to live. Thank you for sharing the advice of your father.