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Dear Preston,

I really admire your work and the way you have turned your passion into a thriving company and still kept your balance. I don’t have a lot of people in my life to turn to for advice and have always wanted to ask you if you would share the five best pieces of advice you have ever received? What was the worst?

Curious

Dear Curious:

This is a really great question as I believe sharing good advice is like spreading water over a lawn. We all walk away feeling a little more nurtured and have a little extra something to help us grow.

The best advice I ever received came from my mother who has passed away. She told me that I may need to work twice as hard for my success because of the color of my skin, but to never forget that I was God’s child, just like everyone else. Thank you, Mom.

My best friend, Vincente Wolf, once told me to look at the world as one big design game. For instance, if I saw a shirt, think of three different ways I could make it unique. This was wonderful advice, and I credit with helping me to become the designer I am today. I encourage all of you to try it! Thank you, Vincente.

I received wonderful advice from my partner, Theo, who reminded me to live a creative life by losing my fear of being wrong. Most designs never see the light of day because of that fear. Thank you, Theo.

My therapist, Peter Azrak, taught me to be very vigilant of my shadow side, and boy, do I have a lot of shadows: Addiction. jealousy, procrastination, ego, etc. I work diligently to recognize them, embrace them, and then to let them go. I believe that this is something we can all benefit from. The moment we make believe that our shadows do not exist, they trip us, and we fall. Thank you, Peter.

One of the most frequent things I heard from my beloved father was, “Preston, things always–and I mean always–workout for the best, if you trust in God.” Thank you, Dad. You were right. I still miss you.

I’ll share the five worst pieces of advice I ever received in an upcoming blog.

Readers: Which one of these pieces of advice, if any, do you most relate to? What’s the best advice you have ever received?

I look forward to your wisdom,

Preston

(Photo courtesy of Collin Key)