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Published: December 29th 2005
This is a compilation of what I have learned throughout my 20 years of life, and while I was gone. Just some humble advice that I felt like sharing… A lot of it will sound familiar because they’re not all original thoughts. But yeah….
Don’t have everything planned out
Be spontaneous and flexible
Go with the flow
Plans never go as expected
And sometimes making mistakes or wrong turns give you better outcomes
Don’t be grouchy and crabby
Be happy
Enjoy the simple things in life
Take time to soak in the sights
Remember how you feel and
How it smells
Be ready to take risks
Be adventurous
Live in the moment but at the same time realize that each action has consequences
You have to appreciate each moment you have because you never know if you will have it again.
Take time to see things that you never wanted to see
See things that will make you laugh
See things that will make you cry
But realize that once you see something it will be with you forever
Don’t fill your brain with unproductive sights
You might hear something that rubs you the wrong way
People will say things that you won’t agree with
But if you close your ears you might not hear something that could change your life forever
You never know when something will touch your heart and give you a new perspective on life
So be prepared and alert and keep your ears open
Once you start something there is no turning back
Once it’s over it’s over, there is no going back
But the end is just the beginning
The end is not really the end
This journey won’t end until you die
Pack light
Just believe me on this one
Wear your clothes more than once before washing them
Heck, I wore the same pair of jeans for a couple weeks before washing them
And it didn’t harm anybody
Don’t use a new towel everyday after you get out of the shower
You are clean when you get out
It’s not necessary to use a different one each day.
Don’t worry
90% of the things you worry about never happen
Most of the time you have no control over the things you worry about
Seriously, why worry?
Have faith
Everything will work out
Email is great, especially when you’re on the opposite side of the world
It’s instant gratification
And you don’t have to wait to get it
But nothing compares to getting a letter in the mail
A good old fashioned letter from someone back home
Letting you know that they’re thinking about you.
You don’t know when or why or how
That’s ok
Go out and ask questions
Be adventurous
Take risks
Live on the edge
Order something you weren’t expecting from the menu
Get on the wrong train
DO things that are controversial
Do what you know is right even if you are the only one doing it
Nobody ever said life is easy but if you’re not true to yourself you will never be happy
You will learn by doing
Make mistakes and you will learn more
Turn left instead of right
Question everything
And don’t believe everything that you hear, read or see
People are deceiving
And this world is corrupt
Be happy for what you have
Never be upset or depressed about the things you don’t have
You have more than enough
When you overcome obstacles you feel accomplished
When you look fear in the face it’s not as scary
Get down on your hands and knees
Don’t be afraid to get dirty
Mud won’t kill you
Rain wont kill you, it will only make you wet
Everybody has a story
Everybody has something to say
Listen
Listen
Listen
Stop talking, stop daydreaming
Listen
If you’re meant to see the people you meet along the way again
You will
If you’re not, you won’t
People come and go
There is a reason why each person is in your life
You will learn something from everybody
Everybody will teach you something
And likewise they will learn something from you
Teach them something good
Laugh
Laugh when things are funny
Laugh when life sucks
Laughing will make you and those around you happy
Laugh just to laugh
Do you need a reason to laugh?
Laugh yourself to sleep at night
You will wake up happy
And Laugh at yourself, don’t leave that job for others
The best feeling in the world is the stomach ache you get from laughing too hard
Be patient
Patience is a virtue
People aren’t perfect
Everybody makes mistakes
Forgive
And then forget
What good is holding a grudge?
It doesn’t hurt the person you’re holding it against
It only hurts you
Let it go
You will be much happier once you do.
Make Jesus your best friend
He’s the only one who will always be there for you
He is the only one besides your parents who will love you unconditionally
He’s the only one who won’t stab you in the back
Or walk away
Hang up on you
Forget you or
Tell you to come back at a better time
Talk to Him
He WILL listen
Even if what you’re saying is incoherent
He doesn’t care
You are the apple of His eye
His pride and joy
He loves you more than anyone in the entire world does
Why wouldn’t you want him as your best friend?
Wake up early and watch the sunrise
You can always go back to bed
Make sure it’s not a cloudy morning before you get up
The sky will get lighter but you won’t be able to see the sun rise if it’s cloudy
I might know that one from experience
Take time to appreciate the sunset
Isn’t it crazy that it’s never the same two nights in a row?
The sun always sets in the west
But never at the same time
Or with the same intensity
Confidence is the key to success
Be confident
Don’t be egotistical
People won’t like you if you only think about yourself
Think about others
Treat others with respect
Kill them with kindness
Smile
Say hi
Be the bigger person
Don’t be afraid of love
Love makes the world go around
Money does not
Money is essentially worthless
You’re born with none
And when you die your money doesn’t go with you
Contrary to belief, the less you have the happier you will be
Money doesn’t buy happiness
Don’t be materialistic
You will always want more and
You will never have enough
FACE IT,
YOU HAVE ENOUGH
If you got rid of half of your possessions you will still have way more than enough
Stop spending your money on new toys
Don’t let work kill you
Spend time with your family
That is the best gift you can ever give your children
Toys break and clothes go out of style
You will always be a family
And your kids will remember you being there for them more than they will remember the toys you bought them when they were 5.
Tell people how you feel
Don’t be afraid to speak your mind
Open your heart
But not too wide
You don’t want to be taken advantage of
Actions speak louder than words
You can say something until you are blue in the face
But if you actions contradict your words
People will never believe you
Be a credit to your name
Don’t do things to impress other people
Don’t do things your mother wouldn’t approve of
Because if your mother wouldn’t approve of it, chances are its wrong
Don’t be stupid
Don’t be a moron
Use the brain you were given
Unless you’re 5, don’t act like a 5 year old
Act your age
Don’t be upset with people who come to America and don’t speak English
Yeah, at times it’s frustrating
But until you can go to their country and speak their language perfectly
You have no right to be upset
Try to help them
English is a hard language to learn
Its fun trying to communicate with someone who speaks a completely different language than you
And it usually results in good stories
Call your best friend at 3:30am
If she wakes up and answers
And then continues to talk to you after she finds out it’s not an emergency
She’s a true friend
If not find a new friend
You think I'm joking, but I'm not
Don’t make promises you don’t plan on keeping
You can say something and not do it
But once you promise you promised
You have to follow through
Dream
Just dream
Dreaming is fun
Don’t say anything BAD about America
If you don’t like it here then leave,
Move somewhere else
Live in another country and then you will realize how lucky you are to be American
Don’t hit the snooze button
Or turn your alarm clock off
You will just fall back to sleep
Get up when it goes off
You obviously had it set for a reason
Be happy to get up in the morning
Don’t get upset if people think you’re a man
It happens to the best of us
And if you are a man you should be happy that people think you’re a man
If your juice is too watery, drink it
If your juice doesn’t have enough water, drink it
If your juice is perfect, drink it
Be happy for what you have
Because even if it might not be perfect
You are lucky enough to have it
Go skydiving, but make sure you have a parachute
Get a tattoo, but not in Africa
Shave your head, but not in the winter
You only live once
Take advantage of life
This is what I feel
This is how I feel
Its not sugar coated
It’s not always intelligent
Or mentally stimulating
The heart speaks the truth
My words are just telling you what my eyes see
My heart feels and
My brain thinks
You’re entitled to a different opinion
I don’t claim that mine is right
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Pops
non-member comment
What I've Learned
I've learned over the years,and past 4 months, that you're quite an incredible young woman. Your insights on life have opened my eyes to things I only thought I knew. I thank God that you're home safe and sound and ask that you continue to remind me how blessed I truly am. Great job on all your blogs. I've learned a lot about you through them. I'm proud of you for what you've accomplished and your outlook on life. You will make a difference. Love ya, Pops.