Joan Marques - Ed.D., MBA.
Burbank, California

1. Be cautious when engaging in politics: It is a tricky game, and one that should be played with vision, for the right people to befriend today may be the wrong ones to hang out with tomorrow.
2. Never underestimate the value of love: A female knows she is really in love when she feels like a woman with the one she loves, and without him, merely like a person.
3. Always remain mindful of the passing nature of life: Realizing that the breath that drives you today will someday leave you may be a scary thought, but it is a true one nonetheless. And what happens after that remains a surprise. Or not.
4. Maintain your dignity. Real dignity is not derived from what others think of you or expect from you. It comes from within and has everything to do with how you see yourself.
5. Concentrate on your own perspectives and not on those of others. Worrying about what others think is a sign of immaturity, for they will always see things differently from how you meant them to be interpreted.
6. Maintain a state of regular peace of mind, for that is the only thing that matters. It is a fragile state, especially if you are emotionally attached to loved ones, but it is more valuable than anything: priceless, yet costless.
7. Be observant, and you will learn much more than you're told. People's gestures and their general way of speaking displays much more of their personalities than their words do.
8. Age serenely. Aging can be as graceful or as humiliating a process as you want it to be. The harder you're trying to deny your maturity, the more you're fooling yourself: No one else.
9. Be sparse with your anger. Anger can be destructive, not only for the ones you direct it to, but even more for yourself. It eats inside and brings about dissatisfaction, disturbance, and discomfort. Not to speak of regret if you have been overly expressive. Therefore, even if you cannot remain free from anger at all times, it might be good to always remember whether the target of your anger is worth your inner-imbalance.
10. Connect with others, but remain your own person. Contact with other people is important as it can teach you a lot about human behavior, it can enhance your understanding of multiple facts, and it can help you in achieving your goals. Yet, you should also realize that others are just bystanders in your life, and that you are the star. Don't hesitate to release contacts and to rely on yourself when circumstances require that. You are what matters.