14 Dec “Advice to Young People” from an Honorable Man and American Hero by Mike Noel

Some years ago, a business friend of mine asked me if I’d like to attend a two-day financial seminar of which he was the organizer. He explained he expected about 100 people to attend. He enticed me by adding that the featured speaker for the event would be the recently retired forty-first President of the United States, George H.W. Bush, who was also a war hero from WWII. I accepted with a resounding, “Yes, count me in.”

I was surprised to learn that additional fortune was coming my way by being invited, along with about ten others, to meet and talk one-on-one with the President in the evening prior to the seminar.

When that evening came, all of us were shown to a lovely private room in the hotel. Then, dogs on leashes and their handlers entered the room. The trained dogs sniffed around for about ten minutes and ultimately gave a sign of approval that the coast was clear. We were then advised that we would need to line up for the President, and each of us would get five minutes to talk with him. About fifteen minutes later, the President came in and introduced himself. He gave us a wonderful smile and was very relaxed and friendly.

I was about half way into the line-up, so I could hear most of the questions being asked, along with President Bush’s answers. The questions were about matters in Europe, U.S. politics and the like. And when the five minutes were up, each person who had been talking to the President was photographed with him and whisked away.

When my turn came up, I introduced myself and said, “Mr. President. How’s your golf game?” Well, Mr. Bush’s eyes lit up, and he became really animated. After my five minutes were up, a hotel employee walked over to indicate my time was up, and the President stealthily waved him off. It was clear that President Bush wasn’t done talking about his golf game. Then, he and I traded golf jokes. About ten minutes from my start point, my photo was taken with him, and I was whisked away. The next day at lunch, the President talked to the entire group about international events for at least an hour; and he didn’t even use notes. It was an incredible talk, and I can picture him talking to us as if it were yesterday. What a wonderful flash-back!

President George H.W. Bush died recently at age 94. At age 18, after several flights over enemy territory, he was shot down over the Pacific Ocean. After parachuting, he engaged the raft he had grabbed from his airplane and was picked up by sailors in a U.S. submarine. At age 90, he sky-jumped out of an airplane at 12,500 feet, pulled the ripcord at 4,500 feet and landed on his feet without any problems. What a robust and fun-loving guy! Throughout his life, he was highly regarded and liked by everyone he met.

A few years ago, he wrote a memo of 10 pieces of advice to young people based on his experiences in and out of his Presidency. I believe it is sage advice for young people of all ages.

Words of Wisdom–From the Forty-First President of the United States

George H.W. Bush

“I cannot single out the one greatest challenge of my life. I have had a lot of challenges, and my advice to young people might be as follows:

1. Don’t get down when your life takes a bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenges and often success.

2. Don’t blame others for your setbacks.

3. When things go well, always give credit to others.

4. Don’t talk all the time. Listen to friends and mentors and learn from them.

5. Don’t brag about yourself. Let others point out your virtues and your strong points.

6. Give someone else a hand. When a friend is hurting, show that friend you care.

7. Nobody likes an overbearing big shot.

8. As you succeed, be kind to people. Thank those who helped you along the way.

9. Don’t be afraid to shed a tear when your heart is broken because a friend is hurting.

10. Say your prayers!!”