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....




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