Now, for something a little different. Some things I've learned about life and people so far (and subject to change, I might add...):
1) Don't make decisions out of fear. I've never made a good decision primarily motivated by fear and I haven't observed this to work for others, either.
2) No matter what people say, they usually DO what they want. If you're confused by someone, pay attention to their actions, not their words.
3) You can't make someone else change. You can change your reaction to that person.
4) Most people are doing their best most of the time.
5) It's not about me. In both good and bad, we tend to take overly much credit or overly much guilt/shame. We benefit from putting ourselves in a more realistic perspective.
6) It is important to be careful with our words. We probably heard this from someone when we were kids - think before you speak.
7) Try to find a vocation you like. We spend a lot of time working, so it's better to like what you do. Encourage your kids to study what they enjoy and find a way to make a vocation of it.
8) Shame and secrets are destructive forces. Keep pushing for honesty with yourself and judicious honesty with others. When we are open, we find that much of what we were ashamed of isn't nearly as powerful as we thought.
9) Listen and pay attention to older people. In our culture, which so values youth, we are missing out on much more interesting people.
10) In the scope of creation, we are little and there is much that is mysterious. There is almost always a choice- choose love and compassion.
That's it for the week. I hope you have a good one.
Love the list. For me the thing about number 9 is older people aren't trying to impress anyone or give you an impression about themselves when they give advice or share their thoughts. They are more likely to have just come to terms with who they are. It's something I aspire to :)
ReplyDeleteA good list, Katy. But are you SURE it's not about me? ;-)
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