23 NOVEMBER 2026 WorldWide Drilling Resource® The Un-Comfort Zone II by Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. Advice to My Sons I didn’t get a lot of advice from my dad; and there were many times, after he was gone, when I could’ve used it. I lost him when I was 19 years old (sadly he lost his father when he was 12, and my grandfather lost his father when he was eight), so there wasn’t a lot of generational fatherly advice being passed down in my family. For many of my teenage years, Dad and I were at odds with each other (which may mean he did offer advice, but I might not have been in the right frame of mind to receive it). In brief, I had to learn a lot of the wisdom I acquired the hard way: trial and error; failing and starting over; and getting knocked down and getting back up. Today, my sons are well into adulthood and each is entering a new phase of life. They rarely ask my advice anymore, but there are several tips I’d like to put out there for them when they’re ready . . . just in case I’m not around to share it. Here are ten bits of wisdom, in my order of importance, I wish were shared with me when I was young enough to profit from it: 1. Be True to Yourself - Be authentic and genuine and never compromise on your values or that which you consider to be important. Be the best you can be, yet be humble. Never compare yourself to others (this can only lead to envy and depression) because everyone is on a different journey and you don’t know what sacrifices they may have made to get where they are. Believe in yourself. Learn how to set and enforce boundaries in all of your relationships: work, family, and friends. Always remember it’s okay to say, “No.” And know you are worthy; never accept less than you deserve. Demand respect, and if it’s not given, eliminate those people from your life, and find those who do. 2. Be Courageous - Finding courage is the pivot point where everything can change for the better. Courage moves you forward. If you find yourself afraid of something, take several full, deep breaths and tell yourself to relax. The best way to overcome fear is with information; first remove yourself from danger, then learn more about that which is scaring you - getting the facts will reveal if the danger is real or not. If you are hesitant to take a risk, ask yourself, “What’s the worst that can happen?” and then evaluate how to move forward. Here are three solid quotes on the power of courage: “The secret to happiness is freedom . . . and the secret to freedom is courage.” ~Thucydides “Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.” ~C.S. Lewis “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage.” ~Anaïs Nin 3. Question Everything - Think critically. Verify for yourself what you have been told is true. People, including those in authority, will spin information to their advantage (not yours), so learn to recognize logical and rhetorical fallacies. 4. Actions Speak Louder than Words - This one follows closely on the heels See us at GROUNDWATER WEEK Booth 742 Wilson Cont’d on page 26.
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