If I Was 15

Treat others the way you would like to be treated.

Luke 6:31

For the International Day of the Girl, CNN asked various remarkable and impressive women, "Looking back, what one piece of advice would you give to yourself at 15?"  All of the answers were remarkable in one way or another, but one in particular stood out for me.  Many of the woman said such things as:

• Believe in yourself
• Follow your dreams
• Be different
• Have a dream, a goal, a vision
• Do not fear failure
• Believe in hard work
• Learn to hear your own voice
• Stay true to what you believe in

 All of these ideas are good advice for young women, but most if not all of them are turned inward - an egocentric approach, if you will.  Most of the women were focused on their individual life and how to succeed with goals and dreams.  Out of the fourteen women queried, only one looked outside herself to the community beyond.

Fabiola Gianatti is a world-renowned particle physicist in charge of the Atlas Experiment at CERN in Switzerland and part of the team that runs the Large Hadron Collider.  This Italian scientist's advice to her 15-year-old self reveals a vision that looks outward as well as inward.

"Believe in your dreams and ideals and

pursue them with determination and motivation.

Always find the time to do something for other people.

Indeed, there is nothing more rewarding

than making someone else happy."

Fabiola Gianatti, physicist