Stephen Hawking's three pieces of advice for his children

No matter how bad life may be, there is always something you can do and succeed. While there is life, there is hope.

There are those who say that the best thing about life is that it is made of ups and downs, otherwise it means that it has come to an end. The fact is that we face many challenges and, at times, we ask ourselves if we will be able to overcome them.

Fortunately, among us there are beings who manage to see the positive side of obstacles, no matter how big they are. They are people who face serious illnesses, disabilities or incalculable losses and, literally, use the stones in the way to build their castles.

Our generation had the privilege of being a contemporary of one of the greatest geniuses of humanity – theoretical physicist and British cosmologist Stephen Hawking. Regarded as one of the most renowned scientists of the century, he was Lucasian professor emeritus at the University of Cambridge, a post that was held by Isaac Newton, Paul Dirac and Charles Babbage.

Who was Stephen Hawking?

Stephen William Hawking was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death. Always interested in science, he attended St Albans High School for Girls between 1950 and 1953 where he was considered a good but not exceptional student. In 1959, he entered University College, Oxford, where he studied Physics.

Throughout his early studies, his interests were focused on thermodynamics, relativity and quantum mechanics. Hawking earned his doctorate at Trinity Hall, Cambridge in 1966, where he was an honorary member. After that, he became a researcher and, in 1973, he abandoned an Astronomy course, joining the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics.

Between 1979 and 2009, he held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. The physicist was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at age 21. It is a rare degenerative disease that paralyzes the body's muscles without affecting brain functions. Since 1985, after contracting pneumonia in Sweden, he used a voice synthesizer to communicate because he had a tracheostomy.

In 2005 Hawking used his cheek muscles to control the device, and in 2009 he could no longer control the electric wheelchair. Stephen Hawking died at home in Cambridge on March 14, 2018, aged 76, due to complications from his degenerative disease.

Stephen Hawking's Greatest Contributions

Stephen Hawking won, throughout his vast career, awards such as the Albert Einstein Medal, the Order of the British Empire and the Copley Medal of the Royal Society. He was also responsible for publishing scientific articles and books, such as The Universe in a Nutshell, which sold over 9 million copies.

Among Hawking's six major contributions to science, we can cite:

1. Determined that the Universe began as a singularity
2. Applied the second law of thermodynamics to black holes
3. Hypothesized that black holes can become extinct
4. Theorized the expansion of the Universe and how galaxies formed
5. Thought about what was before the Big Bang
6. Proposed a theory for everything

Stephen Hawking's Advice for Your Children

The legacy left by Stephen Hawking for humanity is undeniable. However, her unique outlook on life was passed down to her three children as teachings on how to face adversity.

The British physicist left three key messages for Lucy, Robert and Tim that were shared with ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer in 2010. The answer was given after being asked what advice he would give his heirs.

Here are the advice more important than Stephen Hawking he left to his children:

• remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.
• never give up work. Work gives meaning and purpose, and life is empty without them.
• if you're lucky enough to find love, don't let it go.

The teachings can be absorbed and passed on to future generations in the search for a fuller life. A focus on the people and work you love is the key to combining career and identity.

Thus, your work will have more purpose and meaning, going beyond paying the bills and promoting professional growth. In addition, Hawking's advice to keep your head up in the face of obstacles, in addition to valuing the loved ones around you.