Live And Learn

Life is an endless classroom in a long journey of discovery.

In fact, learning is everything. It's virtually impossible to succeed in any endeavor be it your education, career, marriage, family or social life without learning valuable lessons about the world; the people who inhabit it; and, especially, yourself.

In South Florida, five outstanding women who have reached the pinnacle of achievement in their fields agree that, without learning, there is no progress. They have absorbed wisdom and formed insights at every step of their extraordinary lives, used what they have learned to reach success and become resources for anyone seeking to know the keys to winning in life.

So we couldn't resist picking their brains. In a nod to the classic Esquire column, "What I've Learned," we asked them: "What have you learned?"

Barbara Schmidt

The philanthropist and wellness guru is the author of The Practice: Simple Tools for Managing Stress, Finding Inner Peace and Uncovering Happiness, a guide to spirituality in the modern world that has reached 4.6 million people. Schmidt is the founder of the Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life program and the Spirit of Giving Network.

Every moment is our perfect teacher. Every person we meet is a teacher. The greatest thing is to be totally present. I have studied with many teachers, and the fundamental message they give us is to be in the present moment. Try not to be doing l0 things at once, and try, as much as possible, to be fully present with the people and the things that are happening in your life.

If we can have that perspective, we're not as stressed and worried. Most of what I worried about didn't happen, and, when things did happen, I handled them wonderfully because I was really present. I was able to think about what I needed to do in this moment and not try to jump ahead to the next moment.

What is it you are being called to do? Look at what moves you, deep inside of you, and do that. If that's something you're willing to die for, live fully for it.

I have opinions, but I am able to listen to the opinions of other people and not make a judgment or be angry.

Try to feel your feelings at every moment. Don't carry them as baggage. Experience and feel them in the moment, and then take an action or not. Do something with your feeling, or let it go.

Jacqueline Reeves

As managing partner of Bell Rock Capital, Reeves heads the firm's research and portfolio strategy group. Often a featured financial expert in national media, she previously was managing director at Ryan Beck & Co. and director of research at Putnam Lovell NBF. She is past president of the Junior League of Boca Raton.

Really have a passion for what you do, and make sure that passion burns really hard in your gut, so it drives you to effect change and also to make improvements to leave the world and [your] organization a little bit better off than when you arrived.

You need to have patience to listen to everyone's point of view. Maybe it doesn't happen as quickly as you wanted, and maybe it doesn't happen in exactly the same path that you had envisioned. But, collectively, by having that patience and by listening to everyone around the table, a greater solution may emerge. It just may take a little longer, and that's OK.

Lead by example. There is no job too small or too big that I will not execute.

Stop trying to multitask. You don't have to multitask every single minute. I make it a goal, wherever I am, to not look at my phone, to be present in the conversation and to listen and participate in what is being said.

Value the friendships that you have, and be there for your friends. I try to encourage people more and more to pick up the phone to actually have a conversation rather than by email or texting.

Mary Wong

Since 2006, Wong has served as president of the Listen Learn Care Foundation (formerly the Office Depot Foundation), benefiting various groups and causes. She also serves on the boards of Feed The Children, the United Nations Women's Committee and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation Corporate Citizenship Center.

Don't dwell on the past. Take the things you've learned with you, and take the great pieces and opportunities that you've had, and learn from those pieces so that you can be stronger.

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone" is my favorite quote. Take challenges, and embrace them, because they are also the things that really make you a better person.

Along the way, I've learned that you can't fix everything. There was a time in my naivet when I thought, I'm going to go up there, and we can just do it all and make it happen. You realize that that's just not always a possibility.

The hardest thing for me was to learn to say no. But you do a better thing to say no because then you open up that vessel for somebody to say yes. Then, I can do a better job of targeting at giving my time and my energy to the things that I'm good at. I've learned how to reel myself in.

There is no singularity in making an impact. There is no ego in this business. If I can help a kid go to school without being hungry and that is done in partnership with another organization, I'm happy to do that.

You can choose to dwell in the past or look at new beginnings. New beginnings are always better.

Ava Parker

In 2015, Parker became the first female president of Palm Beach State College. Before that, the attorney was the executive vice president of Florida Polytechnic University, a member of the Florida Board of Governors of the State University System and a member of the University of Central Florida's Board of Trustees.

It's never too late to change your career and challenge yourself in a different direction. You never should limit yourself based on the standards of others or the path that others have taken.

It is never too late to lead like a lady. I am in a male-dominated field, but it's OK to approach this job as a woman would approach the job. It is a nuance that makes women unique leaders. I'm not afraid to be compassionate.

Don't be afraid to be competitive. Don't be afraid to let that be a strength. It doesn't mean that I'm always going to get there. It means that I'm always going to try to get there. That's how I get the most positive results.

You have to have something that centers you and serves as your foundation and keeps you grounded. With me, it's my faith. I believe in God, and I rely upon my faith to help me navigate tough times.

One thing I tell women is that it's OK for you to not do what everybody else expects you to do. It's OK for you to listen to yourself, listen to what will make you a better person and choose that path. You don't have to be the person to go and get your kids at 2 p.m. You can rely on others to help you do those things so you can realize your goals in your career. If your career is important and you do well there, when you get home, you'll be happier, and you'll be a better parent.

Susan Haynie

Haynie has a long record of public service: She's the current mayor of Boca Raton and has been a city council member for 15 years. She's also the former president of the Florida League of Cities, past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities and Florida representative to the National League of Cities Presidential Task Force.

A very important quality in life is adaptability. If you have a fixed idea of how things should be, and they are not, you're setting yourself up for disappointment and failure. You have your plan for the day. That's plan A. By the end of the day, I'm generally on plan C, but that's OK. Life is an ever-changing landscape. Those who are able to adapt and embrace the change have a much happier life.

We all need to be better listeners. That's really vitally important to navigating through life. People are so busy broadcasting their issues that they don't take the time to really listen to others. To listen to people and truly hear is how we connect with each other.

There's just nowhere to hide [from communication]. It used to be, when the day was over, you could separate from your work life. But, today, with the cell phone, everyone's there in front of you 24/7. It's not as personal as the connection that you get when you are face to face with people. You can turn it off, but, then, when you turn it back on again, look out! If I don't check my email for a day, I've got 150 pieces of email I need to respond to. We pay the price for disconnecting.

What we do has a far greater impact than what we say. It's important that people talk, but talk is cheap, and actions really reveal the true self. O