Who is Betty Reid Soskin? Well, she is an icon in America. She is one of the most senior park rangers in the National Park Service. She joined the post when she was 80 plus. Within a short time, she gained a lot of popularity and became a prominent face in the country. She is nothing less than a shining beacon of hope to millions within the continent. She recently turned 100, and today she offers life-altering advice to millions. Many people dream of achieving things similar to her including living to be 100 years old. Here, we are going to take a look at some advice from America’s oldest ranger who is based in Richmond, California.
Add meaning to each day in your life
She advises people to lead their lives by adding some meaning to them, by doing things that make a difference to their lives and that of others. Life goes by very quickly and we are all capable of doing wonderful things and we should explore that about ourselves. She further emphasizes that it adds purpose to our very existence. In short, she passes on the message that we should try and make positive changes around us by contributing to society.
Maintaining honesty matters
Betty has stressed that she does not want to be remembered as a person who did great things, such as a celebrity or tycoon. But people should think of her as an honest person. She also says that the best way to accept what is going on in the world around you is to be honest with yourself and people.
Tapping into creativity
In her younger days, Betty delved into music and she did this because she wanted to get in touch with her creative side. Music, according to her view, has always been an integral part of life. Since she was a colored woman, she had to cope with racism and so at that time, music was the only thing that gave her the strength and courage to endure that. She says by tapping into your creative ability you also get the chance of discovering hidden abilities you thought that you never had. “Society is always going to tell you that you can’t, but your creativity will tell you anything is possible,” she said in a candid interview.
Being heard is necessary
Betty says from her own experience that there have been times when people wanted to ignore her contributions and story. However, she made a point to make sure that she was heard. It did ruffle a few feathers, but in the end, things worked out. This is the most important advice she likes to pass on to people — never feel scared of speaking up. People may not appreciate your honesty or guts, but that is the only way forward.
Staying active is important
She lays importance on staying active as we often do not when things might work out for us. New opportunities are happening every single day and we should grab them when the time is right. She says that we are going to make mistakes along the way, but we should not feel low as it is normal for things to spiral out of control sometimes. That does not mean we should stop in our tracks and sit back.
Betty Reid Soskin does not credit chocolate or good wine for her long life. Instead, she says that she took things as they came and improvised on certain situations that were not in her favor. She says that we should not expect to have full control of everything in our lives. Doing so will hurt us psychologically when things do not work out as planned. It is always best to have an open mind and less expectation to get the best out of life. She also tells people to have control over their actions when they are stressed.
The rewards and recognition
In her eventful life, Betty Reid Soskin has donned many hats, including that of a homemaker, a park ranger, musician, antiwar advocate, and civil rights activist. The nice thing is her efforts have not gone unnoticed. After assuming the role of a park ranger, she received the Silver Service Medallion and former U.S. President Barack Obama presented her with a commemorative coin. The rewards and recognitions she says made her feel humbled.
