When it comes to teaching life’s lessons to our younger counterparts, there is no greater teacher, in my mind, than us older woman. Oh, how lucky they are to have older and wiser tutors full of advice for young women. Sages like us, dear readers, are better than the finest wines.

The difference between our generation and the younger generation …

Our generation of young women did not seek out the advice of older woman because there was a large disconnect in age. We had no council. We tested our own waters, climbed our own mountains and when necessary, picked ourselves up and started all over again.

Why do the young women of today seek us out?

Today’s young women seek out us “older gals” because the disconnect is not as notable as it was in our generation. They see our look… we are bold and visible older women. Therefore, younger women can and want to relate. Our age difference is no longer a turn off, but rather a go-to. They know we are vital and wise with advice for young women.

My daughters and other young women I meet want to learn from me because they see my age as a plus. They realize I am a great source of all types of knowledge. My daughters, for example, often ask me, “Mom, what do you think? What should I say? What should I do?”

Advice young women seek from me

The topics are all over the map from confidence building to beauty products, to career decisions and relationships with girlfriends and family. From advice on child rearing to what they should wear for an occasion, to a recipe or how to handle a husband. You name it — they ask it. Why? Because I am an authority. I have the answers to all their questions. I have lived into the answers and so have you.

We older women have lived, laughed, loved and experienced every emotion in between. You have your story to tell your children, just as I have mine.

I grew up in a small town in the Midwest, Kankakee by the Sea. I was a minority. The town’s diversity was character building. I moved with my young family from the Midwest to Honolulu, Hawaii. I learned how to integrate my family into a new community. I was widowed in my forties and I learned how to mourn. I remarried a widower and learned how to adjust to life in the big city. I have traveled the world expanding my thoughts and my visions. On a very emotional note, I lived through the ordeal of telling my husband his son committed suicide, the ordeal of telling my children I had cancer, the ordeal of blending two families and all the other ordeals we older women have experienced. I became a writer in my 60s and started HoneyGood.com because my motto is, “If you do not try, you will never know — and that goes for everything.”

Wouldn’t a young woman seek me out for my Pearls of Wisdom? Wouldn’t a young woman seek you out for your Pearls of Wisdom? Of course they would.

Advice for young women: Honey Good’s “Honeyisms”

• Be true to yourself. It will take time, but once you own it, it is powerful. Shine your light.
• Hoard your classic clothes. They will hold true over the years.
• If people talk about you, you know you’re interesting.
• Own your style: 80% is inner style, 20% is outer style.
• Don’t worry about aging, worry about being boring.
• A woman makes a marriage.
• Rid yourself of unhealthy relationships. Delete! Delete! Delete!
• Listen to your heart, it knows.
• Take care of your skin. Smile during the day and use olive oil at night.
• Have empathy. This is one of the most important characteristics a person can possess.
• Find your purpose and then go for it! You will never know unless you try.
• The most important decision you will make in life is the person you choose as your lifelong partner.
• Love your life. Your hills and valleys will be great teachers.
• Family comes first.
• Do not live in the past or future. Live in the present, it is your gift.
• Be proactive about your health. It has saved my life twice.
• Choose like-minded girlfriends with interests that differ from yours.
• When things are not going your way, say to yourself: I will make it through the rain. I will make sweet lemonade out of lemons. I will land on the sunny side of the street… and then do it.
• Take the high road. Your strong values must win over your emotional anger, rage or hurt. This is true power.
• And last, but really first… be grateful.

What is you advice for young women? Dear readers of mine, make a list of your Pearls of Wisdom and send it to your daughters, granddaughters and don’t forget your younger friends. Invite them to send you their thoughts — they can teach us, too.