O's 101 Best Pieces of Advice

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

Don't burn your bridges; you may have to cross them again.

—Marie Murphy

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

Don't cry over anything that can't cry over you.

—Cristin Marandino

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

You can't get to second base with your foot still on first.

—Kinsey Gill

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

Remember that the days are long but the years are short.

—Elizabeth Cooperstein

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

How you do anything is how you do everything.

—Kaylee Masury

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

Always be optimistic, even if you have to be irrational about it.

—Susan Burk

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

There is no failure, just feedback.

—Kathy Jakolat

O Readers Share Their Favorite Words of Wisdom

Follow your own advice.

—Belinda Whitmore

How to Look Good in Photos

Try to replicate the experience of looking in a makeup mirror. People usually act more confidently in front of the mirror than the camera—posing, studying their angles, being expressive. If you emulate that private moment, you'll look more natural.

—Ruven Afanador, fashion and portrait photographer

How to Adapt When Your Life Takes a Turn

You can't move very fast if you're carrying a lot of baggage. I try to remind myself of that every day. It's easy to get weighed down by bad stuff from your past—an accident, a difficult breakup, family issues, whatever. But if you're tied to the past, you're not going to get very far. When I was lying in the hospital after the accident, my surgeon, Dr. DeLong, handed me some magazines about the Paralympics and told me to think about it. I had no idea what it would take to be an amputee, let alone a sprinter, let alone a gold medalist. But I told myself, This is your new dream. Here it is. Take the first step.

Watch April’s training session for the Paralympics

—April Holmes, Paralympic gold medalist in the 100-meter dash. In 2001, at age 27, the former college track star lost her left leg from the knee down in a train accident.