10 Lessons I've Learned in (Slightly Over) a Quarter-Century

I was reflecting a bit the other night and I just wanted to share the things that came to my mind.  Here we go, some lessons that I have learned so far during my short stay on this planet...

1. Santa Claus isn’t real: I don’t care what anybody says, the physics ARE NOT possible. No man of that weight, with that large of a beard, could possibly travel at a speed sufficient enough to cover the entire world in one night. Plus, Second Amendment advocates would probably shoot a large man wearing a funny outfit if he entered their home without invite. Okay… now that’s out of the way, I can move onto actual lessons haha.

2. Differences are GOOD: A negative connotation often comes with the idea that people may be different than oneself. Dress differently, worship differently (or not at all), speak differently, have contrasting interests, etc… Many people are simply scared of differences because they are so comfortable with their own beliefs and ways. To me, life is all about progress. I don’t see a conceivable way for myself to progress as an individual nor any way we could progress as a species without having contrasting views and beliefs. Embrace the differences, open your mind to new concepts if only to hear them out, and be unique!

3. Our lives can be completely changed in just an instant: The phone call that you’ve lost somebody you love dearly, the message notifying you that you’ve received your dream job or been accepted into the college you’ve ALWAYS wanted to attend, the very moment you realize you’ve accomplished a dream of yours, seeing the “positive” on a pregnancy test, etc… There are many examples, positive and negative, but when it all comes down to it, there are many things that can change our lives quickly and forever.

4. Giving to others yields happiness: Studies everywhere indicate this principle. When giving to others, we find happiness, worthiness, and purpose within our own lives. Three things every human being has a right to feel and if anybody tells you that you deserve differently, you shouldn’t involve them in your life. I believe that depression and anxiety are so abundant in our society because we live in an individualistic world. Many people worry about themselves before others. Those material things that I always see people showing off aren’t the cause of real happiness, but only momentary happiness. Real happiness doesn’t fade. So, give and keep giving.

5. Time is relentless: It never stops. And, if it does, you better fix your damn clock. The longer we wait, the more opportunity we miss out on. Procrastination never leads us to anything good. It only leads to more stress in the future. If you’ve got a dream, go chase it. If your health is lacking due to no discipline in your diet or exercise, start making that change now before it’s too late. If you love somebody, tell them. If your grades are low because you always wait until the last second, STOP waiting. I could go on forever, but I’m sure you all get the general idea.

6. Christianity is a lifestyle: I believe that many people identify as a Christian… and that’s it. Maybe they’ll go to church from time to time or something to that effect, but they’ll leave it at that. In my eyes, it’s about much more than only identifying and attending church. To be a Christian, in my opinion, is a lifestyle and a very challenging one because, first, we must admit that we are only human and we do make mistakes. The lifestyle extends much further outside of the doors of the church and we must involve our faith in decisions we make in every facet of life. Many nonreligious people often tell me that being a Christian is “for the confused,” or “an easy way out.” Well, quite honestly, there’s a large bit of responsibility and vulnerability that comes with living a Christian lifestyle and this faith has challenged me more than anything else I’ve faced in my lifetime.

7. History only repeats because we refuse to learn from our mistakes:  That’s pretty self-explanatory.  I’m not going to dig too deep into any specifics because I’m sure we can all see these things in our personal lives, locally, and globally.  It seems like we, as individuals and a whole, make the same mistakes over and over again.

8. Failure is the key ingredient to success:  Don’t live in fear of failure, it’s an indicator you’re on the track to success.  You need to learn from those failures (as suggested in lesson 7) and apply whatever it is that you learned.  There are few people, if any, that don’t experience failure on the road to success.  Failure should be a lesson and a motivator, not a discouragement.  

9. Compromise:  One of the most important factors to sustain a healthy relationship of any type is compromise.   Give a little, get a little.  Do things with your loved one that you may not enjoy but he or she does.  Then, although you may not like the specific activity, just be appreciative that you can experience it with him or her.  Love is about more than only yourself, it’s about a partnership.

10. I’ve still got a lot to learn:  And so do we all.  If I know one thing, it’s that I really don’t know a thing at all.  Life is abundant with lessons for us to learn every single day.   I look forward to the new lessons of tomorrow and to reflect on the ones yesterday.


Until next time....




Check me out on Twitter:  @PrallyD

Superheroes in Society

Superheroes...  Most of us grew up pretending to be the heroes depicted in comic books and movies (some still might.. which is slightly scary).  In fact, when I was just around 3 or 4 years old, we were traveling by car to the state of Washington.  Out of nowhere, I shouted something to the effect of, "Open the door and let me out!  I will fly like Superman!"  I'm sure many people have similar stories, or I hope so for the sake of my own esteem.  Our society's love for superheroes recently reflected in the box office, where The Avengers earned the top grossing profit of all movies in 2012. 

But anyways, imagine if superheroes were actually real.  They could solve all of the problems, right?  Iron Man could sacrifice all of his selfishness to save the world as he did in The Avengers.  Captain America could rightfully be the Commander in Chief  of the United States and lead the country back to the dominance it once possessed.  Batman would spend his nights fighting all of the evil in the streets.  Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic, would busy himself with creating a spacecraft that could take people to another planet.  The thought of superheroes in our society is a wishful one, but in my opinion, they are abundant in (most of) our everyday lives.

Single parents, coupled parents, adopted parents, guardians, my parents, your parents, all parents alike... they are who we owe thanks to.   They are our real life superheroes.  As a matter of fact, if you are what you consider to be a "good parent," stop reading my blog for 1 second and pat yourself on the back........ okay, resume reading please! 

The sacrifices that parents make for their children start from day 1 and never end.  Losing sleep over a child's cries, having to reconsider the way finances are made and spent, working multiple jobs, giving up some social aspects of life, etc...  Not to mention the incredible toll pregnancy and labor take on a mother's body.  From the very first day of our lives, parents are already making sacrifices.  Emotional, financial, physical.. you name it, they are sacrificing it for the rest of their lives.  There isn't a day a parent doesn't think about his/her children.  Forever, they live the adjusted lifestyle of having us beneath them in the family tree.

In comparison to the fictional superheroes, parents are human beings.  They make mistakes and the way they raise their children is constantly evolving.  They, just like we, learn as life keeps pressing on.  I'm sure if I asked a large sample of parents about their "ideologies" of parenting from day 1 to now, even if it's only day 10, they would tell me that their ideas and methods change pretty regularly.  It's important that we don't hold parents to some standard of perfection we've created in our own heads.  In respect to all things that evolve, let parents grow into their ways as time passes. 

It seems to me that, too often, people look at parenting as some kind of equation; that there's a "right" or "wrong" way.  People read books on parenting styles written by authors who probably never even followed the steps themselves.  It also seems evident that many of us, as children, take our parents for granted.  It may not be on purpose, but many just expect their guardians to make sacrifices for them..   If it weren't for our caretakers, we wouldn't have been able to survive childhood and grow into adulthood. 

To me, parents are the superheroes in society.  So, think about this question, "How have your parents helped you?"  For most of us, it will be in far too many ways to even count.  Do they serve the purpose of saving the world?  No, but they certainly help the world operate more smoothly.  Today, tomorrow, and every day that follows, thank your parents and let them know you love them.  Go out of your way for them whenever the opportunity arises. 

Thanks again for reading.

Check me out on twitter:  @PrallyD