“We sit silently and watch the world around us. This has taken a lifetime to learn. It seems only the old are able to sit next to one another and not say anything and still feel content. The young, brash and impatient, must always break the silence. It is a waste, for silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are comfortable with each other can sit without speaking. This is the great paradox.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
I don't claim to know it all, and if you ask my teenage son, I don't know anything, but I have learned a few things over the past 40 years of my life, that sometimes I forget about, and sometimes I reflect upon. What seems so important in your teenage years means nothing as an adult, and what is important in your 20's is not so vital in your 30's. I can only hope as I travel further into my 40's I will treasure every moment and learn even more.
1. Always swallow your pride to say you’re sorry. Being too proud to apologize is never worth it — your relationship suffers for no good benefit.
2. Being an adult can be fun when you are acting like a child.
3. Love has nothing to do with looks, but everything to do with time, trust, and interest.
4. Laughing, crying, joy and anger… All are a vital. All make us human.
5. The greatest truths in life are uncovered with simple, steady awareness.
6. Greed will bury even the lucky eventually.
7. Bad things do happen to good people. There is nothing we can do about it.
8. Paving your own road is intelligent only if nobody has gone exactly where you are going.
9. Uncertainty is caused by a lack of knowledge. Hesitation is the product of fear.
10. Memories are priceless. Write them down daily. Even if they seem trivial.
11. Time heals all wounds… regardless of how you feel right now.
12. Most of the time what you are looking for is right in front of you.
13. Your health is your life.
14. Love yourself first.
15. Nobody has it all figured out
Almost everyone has problems and puts on a brave face – don’t presume they have it easy. You see of each person what they let you see. You have no idea what they are going through or what they had to put up with to be in a situation that you can consider “easy”.
16. There’s no shame in saying “I don’t know”
There is a stigma in some cultures to admit ignorance about a particular topic. Don’t dance around the issue – just say I don’t know. Honesty is way smarter.
17. Chance is a gift, so act on chance when given the opportunity.
18. Two people can look at the same thing and see something totally different.
19. Kindness and hard work will take you further than intelligence.
20. Marry your best friend.
21. Take lots of pictures. Someday you’ll be really glad you did.
22. Carelessness is the root of failure.
23. Love isn’t “all” you need, but if you don’t have it in some form, your life will be very empty
We don’t need love to survive, but without it there will be a huge hole inside you. Make sure that every day you have someone (family, friends, lover) to remind you that you are special. If you postpone this part of your life until later, after you get or do that thing you want to do, you will continue in that lonely path indefinitely.
24. Your actions now create memories you will reminisce and talk about in your elder years.
25. Take your time
Enjoy every bite of food, walk at a slow pace and take in your surroundings, let the other person finish their side of the conversation while you listen attentively, and stop in the middle of your day, close your eyes or look at nature and become aware of your breathing.
26. Stepping outside of your comfort zone will put things into perspective from an angle you can’t grasp now.
27. Motivation comes in short bursts. Act while it’s hot.
28. The most important lessons in life can never be expressed in black and white, but must be experienced
When most of the world’s information is at our fingertips, a mouse click away, it makes it feel like we don’t need to experience any more. Movies, books, or “living vicariously through someone else” means we can apparently get the general gist of anything.
This is false. Experience is the greatest teacher of all. Stop reading about or watching the world passively and start living it.
29. Purposely ignoring the obvious is like walking backwards toward the enemy.
30. Taking ownership of failure builds the foundation for success.
31. First impressions are completely worthless 50% of the time.
32. Personal glory lasts forever.
33. It’s OK to be different.
34. Stop trying to impress people by being someone you're not because in the end, you'll lose yourself.
35. If you never act, you will never know for sure.
36. The refrigerator light doesn’t always stay on.
37. There are few joys that equal a good book, a good walk, a good hug, or a good friend. All are free.
38. The word "Family" rarely ends up meaning blood related, and usually ends up becoming who we allow them to be.
39. Life is exceedingly brief. You might feel like there’s a huge mass of time ahead of you, but it passes much faster than you think. Your kids grow up so fast you get whiplash. You get gray hairs before you’re done getting your bearings on life.
40. I have a lot left to learn. If I’ve learned anything, it’s that I know almost nothing, and that I’m often wrong about what I think I know. Life has many lessons left to teach me, and I’m looking forward to them all.
I know this...In My Life I will learn many lessons and the ones I have already learned will stay with me forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment