Around my 40^th birthday I decided there were a lot of things that I had learned in life that I wished to pass onto my daughter Ruby. Important life lessons about friendship, love, trusting her instincts and being a great person.

My daughter was only 8 at the time, so she was a wee bit young to understand a lot of the things I wanted to tell her, but the timing felt right for me so I started jotting down my thoughts and musings over a period of a few months to compile a book for her to take through life with the hope that over the years it would help guide her through the craziness of the years to come.

I chose a book with lovely pages and scripted out my words of wisdom in gold pen to make it extra special. It was (and is) something I hope she will want to keep forever.

When I wrote Ruby’s book, she was a bit of a worrier and always wanted to know what the future had in store for her instead of being present in the moment and focussing on the now – so I definitely had that in mind while writing to her. Now she is a bit older, she is much more relaxed about things.

The book starts with a letter to Ruby, explaining what the book is all about and within the pages are the words I compiled to guide her through. Here’s a taste of my words of wisdom as written to my daughter:

“Make the most of every moment by being present, try not to think too much about what is happening next”

 

“Try to find some good in everything and everyone” (remember the Pollyanna story)

 

“Sometimes we think with our head and sometimes we think with our heart, maturity will help you figure out which one to use”

 

“Learn to trust your gut instinct, this is your first reaction and 99% of the time it will be right, this is your intuition”

 

“Act confident even if you don’t feel it”

 

“Treat others as you would like to be treated – with respect, honesty and thoughtfulness”

 

“You will make lots of friends in your lifetime, choose ones that are kind, loyal, trustworthy, fun and most of all make you feel good about yourself”

 

“Don’t be afraid to have fun and let loose once in a while!”

 

“Be true to yourself and you will be truly happy”

 

“Take risks in life but always remember to trust your gut instinct”

My daughter is now 14 and she has a much better understanding of what I have written to her. Some of the advice has been read, but a lot of it won’t be relevant untill she is a bit older. I’ve also left a few pages at the end blank for her – I hope that one day she might write down her own thoughts and ideas that she learns along the way with the intention to hand down to her own daughter one day, as a beautiful family keepsake.

The book is concluded with a note from me on the last page letting Ruby know that she can always talk to me about anything, anywhere at anytime without judgement or fear and I will listen with respect.

Feel free to add your own piece of wisdom in the comments below.