I think the best part of life is learning. We continue to learn as long as we let ourselves. I decided to make a list for you and I so we can remember what's really important in life.
1. Don't let fear paralyze you. fear can keep you from learning, meeting people, and doing amazing things...
2. Challenge yourself. Step out of your boundaries and you'll become an even better, stronger person; maybe one step closer to someone you look up to.
3. Forgive. Grudges take you to a dead end... And I've found that forgiveness has several different roads like maybe a rekindled friendship and will ease a lot of stress. Remember, holding a grudge doesn't make you more powerful, it makes you weaker.
4. You're never alone. Even when it feels like it God is always with you... When you're sad there's always someone somewhere that still loves you.
5. Be thankful. I have a hard time remembering to appreciate things too sometimes, but try because a lot of people don't have what you have. Maybe you live in a cardboard box with your family. Some people don't have a box OR a family.
6. Respect other people. Love them and care about them even if they don't care about you because it's better to live and love than hate and die. It's wasted energy.
7. Smile about little things that the average person might not appreciate.. like a pretty flower or weird shaped clouds... Why do you think little kids are so happy?
8. Say thank you. Even if someone does something so little that they don't even notice, you feel good about it so make them feel good too.
9. Don't get upset about stupid things. Stupid things take away the chance you have to be happy.
10. "Those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind" is my favorite quote from Dr. Seuss. I'm trying really hard to live by it. The only people in life that you should care about are those who don't care if you're not perfect.
11. Try and take every chance you get to tell someone you love that you love them because you never know if they will be there with you the next day.
12. Don't regret your mistakes... Look at your mistakes as times you've learned from yourself and make it better in the future. It's part of growing because you WILL make mistakes. You are not perfect.
13. Take care of yourself and don't forget to tell yourself how much YOU love YOU... I know too many people who only care about other people... But the truth is, if you don't take time for yourself you won't be strong enough to care about other people.
14. "Stand up for what you believe even if you are standing alone." I gave in to peer pressure way too much... But how are YOU going to be YOU without doing what YOU want to do and not what others want? Don't be afraid to stand alone
15. When you are upset, don't hold it in. Find a good place and scream at the top of your lungs, cry out loud because built up feelings can make you react VERY stupidly
16. Know that you have a shoulder to lean on. If you don't think you do, stretch your boundaries even if it's uncomfortable. You might be missing out on a great friend and someone to talk to
17. Dwell on good things when bad things get the most of you. It's hard when you're out of cash or you have a really crappy relationship... But there is ALWAYS something good in your life you can pride yourself on… EVEN IF you have to search.
18. Beauty is imperfection. What you think is your biggest flaw, somebody might LOVE about you. Perfection is SOOOOO boring. Marti Dodson is one of my favorite singers, she says "Don't Mess With Imperfection." (Check it out on her music profile Saving Jane). Basically, I don't care what you say because you ARE beautiful. You're NOT the "perfect" everyone talks about because that kind of "perfect" doesn't exist.. don't try to be because I'm SURE someone loves you just the way you are, EVEN IF you don't see them.
19. Don't underestimate your limits. You are probably a lot stronger of a person than you might think sometimes. Don't be scared to go further than you think you can.
20. Play the songs in your heart. I know it sounds a little cheezy, but I got this card that said "Roses are red, violets are blue, the songs in your heart make me love you." Don't be afraid to be yourself.. maybe it might be uncomfortable at first but in the long run it might just be the best decision you have ever made.
21. Say please! Yeah it's common sense and we were all probably taught it when we were younger, but how many adults use it every day? Sometimes getting what you want is harder when you demand it and it sounds a LOT nicer anyway.
22. You don't need a million "kind of" friends, just a few good ones. I would pick one great friend over a billion acquaintances ANY day. Everyone can get a bunch of "kind of" friends.. but you know that one amazing friend wouldn't leave you in the ditch like your billion other "kind of friends" would when you need them the most.
23. YOU have the last say with what you do. It's important for you to know that people will tell you things and pull you in different directions. They will try to change your mind and they might even try and get you to be like them. People can keep telling you to do things, but if you don't want to, you DO NOT have to do it. You have the last say because it's YOU. Respect yourself because you will be living with the final result, NOT them.
24. Learn to be non-judgmental. It took me soo long to learn what that even meant.. Judgment is when you base an opinion on something regardless of how well you understand the situation/act/person. It's hard to do, but you might be missing out if you don't take your time and comprehend what is going on!
25. Respect yourslf. It is important to respect other people like I said, but it's also SUPER important to respect your body and love yourself for who you are because (I'm sure you've heard this before) YOU are the ONLY you on earth... and thats a pretty big deal. You are here for some reason or another and I don't care what you think- you're a pretty freaking amazing person. I PROMISE someone thinks that about you.. you might not even know it. Treat yourself great because that's exactly what you deserve.
26. SING!! DANCE!! Singing or dancing makes me happy, maybe it will work for you! :) If not singing, then find something that makes you happy and do it a lot. Do things that make you happy- I quote a wise man named Carlos Mencia by saying "DEE DE DEEEEEEEE" If it makes you happy, then DOOO IIIT!! DOOO ITTT A LOTTTTT!! Who CARES who's watchin, who CARES who doesn't like it; if it ever made YOU smile or laugh then you'll know it was worth doing at one point! Besides, happiness can be contageous
27. !Smile! Especially at strangers. I think it's hilarious how you can give them a sincere, genuine smile and they will almost ALWAYS give you a half-assed depressing smirk then go straight back to their serious face! Why give a courtesy smile when you can be sincere about it?! It catches a ton of people off guard.. smiling for no reason.. and most of the time they will ask what's wrong with you.. and that's even funnier!
28. Think first!!! It's pretty easy to jump into things without thinking about the outcome (and I've done it SOOO many times), but the truth is, it can have pretty bad after effects too. So think before you speak end think before you make decisions that will have an effect on you
29. Don't settle. Go for the best you can get and if you aren't happy- keep on truckin till you get where you wanna be! In relationships especially! It's SO easy to settle for a guy or girl who doesn't treat you as good as you think you can be treated.. it's pretty easy to take the initiative as far as relationships go- if they don't do what they say or lie to you or forget to call, YOU take control and say "whatever, you had your chance" because if they really wanted you, they would have been honest, they would have called or they would have showed up because there is NO such thing as not having enough time or forgetting when you like someone; they would make time. It's an EXCUSE- don't be the girl or guy they want to be with on THEIR time- you'll feel more powerful and independent.
30. Find inspiration. in•spi•ra•tion (--n'sp?-r--'sh?n) - Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.
There are three things that inspire me the most: God, the life I was given, and my closest friends. It's important to have inspirations in your life because THOSE are your motivations to move forward with goals or tough situations. If you can find someone who inspired you to be who you are or do something you want to do and you achieve it, it could be very possible that you have set yourself up be a role model for other people; YOU may be the inspiration. It's a giving process
1. GOD: You give me comfort. You also give me patience and understanding when I need it. You leave me with an unattainable knowledge for who exactly you are, but the curiosity keeps me interested and you are my inspiration to be who I am. I live by your name which, to me, directly translates into love, honesty, respect, responsibility, kindness and most importantly, faith. You are my rock and my friend. Sometimes I'm not the best friend to you and I forget to tell you how much I care about you and I don't talk to you as much as I should, but YOU are my inspiration because no matter how crappy I can treat you sometimes and no matter HOW many times I have turned my back on you, (and I'm sorry God, I can't tell you it is going to be the last) you are always there for me.. and that's the kind of person I want to be. I would never say it if I didn't mean it- I love you with all of my heart.
2. LIFE: NO day is the same. My schedule may be repetitive, but something is alwayyysss different and that in itself is exciting because you never know what's next.. good or bad
3. FRIENDS: I don't need a lot, but those who mean something to me REALLY mean something to me and I wouldn't trade them for ANYTHING and I reallyyyyy mean that. My friends are my friends because they inspire me in some way or another, encourage me, and are there no matter what. There are things I see in my friends that I want to learn about and learn to be like a little I guess you could say :)
31. You aren't a loser if you got something out of it. With whatever you do, just because you lose or quit because you're unhappy that doesn't make you a loser. If you learned something in some way, you've accomplished something. I have the hardest time quitting things because I feel like it's a complete waste of time if I don't get something out of it, but in the long run it might make you completely miserable sticking with it. Don't damage yourself if you don't have to.
32. Don't lie. A lie is nothing but false and hurtful even if it's done out of kindness. A person can get hurt even when you're trying to be nice purely out of the fact that you can't be truthful to them.. I've lied before; it's not worth it. Just be yourself. Be honest. Don't hide behind fallacies when you can stand in front of the truth.
33. Mean what you say. Don't say I love you if you don't believe you do. Don't say you hate someone if you really don't. Don't twist your words or leave things out to make it sound like something else. That's just as bad as a lie and sometimes that hurts more than the truth. That's not you and people will never know who you are.
34. Don't fail before you try. If you think you can't do it- you can't.. and that's because you won't let yourself even attempt anything. Never say you can't because then you've defeated yourself before you've even tried. I like to ask people what they want to be... especially the older people and a LOT of the time they will say something other than what they are. That's because a thing called "LIFE" happens.. and they will tell you "well this happened.. and this happened" but most of the time.. they didn't even TRY to succeed but took a failure because it's easier on them. Life is fucking hard.. I know. DO NOT give up and DO what YOU want to do!!! Look at life long term- a bump in the road might look huge now, but down the road it's probably just going to look like a little pebble.
35. Nothing in life that is worth having comes easy. If you want something VERY badly then you know what I'm talking about.. It takes work.. it takes time.. it takes patience.. it takes endurance and it definitely takes desire. If it's real, everything will come in the package.
36. Be modest. The great thing about modesty is that you can still be confident! If you are good at something or succeeded in some way... people will see that. Free yourself from vanity, egotism and boasting because it's a waste of time.
37. Humble yourself. Being humble means not being overly proud of yourself. The way most of us live today.. it's pretty easy to be arrogant. Maybe you don't speak your arrogance out loud.. but is it there? Stop for a second.. just think... ... ... okay. Now where are you in life? What about everyone else? The people in the world with no food and no blankets to sleep with at night.. just think about that today.
If you believe in God:
"God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
-James 4:6
38. Don't over-commit yourself. What I mean by this is don't make too many plans to try and please everyone. Committing too much can let people down.. and trying to give something to everyone doesn't work; you will end up hurting more people than helping them. You are only ONE person, nothing more. Do what you can handle because if you don't, you will wear yourself out and let everyone down.. and that’s probably everything you didn't want.
39. Deal with your problems. Seriously, if there's something on your mind- deal with it. Don't wait until it gets to you until you break because that's not worth it. If there is a person you are upset with, tell them- WORK THINGS OUT. In dealing with people, handling things maturely to ME means to talk it out, work it out, and don't name call and ignore. It's pointless drama and stress.. just work it out, get over it, and move on.
40. Don't work your life away. The only thing you MAY have to show for it is being the richest person in the cemetery... maybe it's just enough to get by. What can you do to fix it? Life is too short to work it away.. find a way to ENJOY it.
41. "Children need your PRESENCE, not your PRESENTS." Maybe you've had a parent like that.. they'll just throw you money or other material things instead of spending time with you. Maybe then it's a little easier to understand the difference between what really matters and material things. It's not fair. It probably hurts a hell of a lot sometimes. The only thing you can do is learn from it and be a great parent to your child if or when you have one. Smile because you have the chance to raise an amazing person that can grow up and make a biiiiiig difference in the world some day.
42. You have the right to be angry, not angry and cruel. If you're upset then get upset! DO NOT take it out on ANYONE. I don't care what they say, I don't care what they've done to you.. you are not the better person by taking your feelings out on someone else especially if they did nothing wrong. It can leave a lot of damage.
43. Don't let people tell you you're young and clueless. Maturity comes with experience, not with birthdays. Just because some people have had more potential to gain experience within their years does NOT mean they took advantage of it.
44. Live your dreams. I know that sounds stupid, but from experience, I've had the closest people laugh in my face and tear me down when I tell them what I want to do with my life because they believe it's unattainable.. and it's very hard to keep going when you're young and fighting plenty of uphill battles.. but you can succeed (sometimes you might be the only one telling yourself you can). If ANYONE tells you otherwise (and sometimes that can be the closest people to you) understand that when YOU succeed, you are the winner in the end and that's what matters. Sometimes it takes more courage to create your own dreams and follow your own path in life than to take other's.
45. Think "half glass full." Especially when things seem like they are going downhill. You choose your moods by choosing your outlook on things so think positive and say "in the end, things will be okay," because looking back, you've gotten through things before.. things are fine.. and you can do it again.
46. Some days you will feel helpless; that’s okay. You will feel hopeless and you will feel like there's NOTHING you can do to fix the situation you are in. Understand that you cannot do everything all the time.. maybe you HATE the fact that you can't do more than you want to and it hurts you.. and that's okay. It's OKAY to feel the way you do.. you will learn that it's important to not take advantage of the situations when you can make a difference.. even if it's something little.
47. NEVER tell a child something is too hard for them. Children believe everything you tell them. Do not tell them things are not possible; they will believe you even if you have no idea if it's true or not. Allow the children you come in contact with to flex their minds and do not come into opposition with their ideas and goals (no matter how big or small) because that may not only have a negative impact on them now, but a serious impact in the future with their confidence and ability to believe in themselves. I think that believing in yourself starts at a very young age and it's up to us as adults to stand behind kids and their ideas and goals.
48. Seeing is not always believing. People have told me they only believe things when they see it and that's why they don't believe in God. Can you see love? Do you feel it? Can you see hurt? Do you feel it? I believe in love even though I do not see it. To me, God is love. If you can believe that love is real even though you can't visibly see it then you know what faith is. Maybe you have "faith" that somebody loves you back. Having faith in something isn't easy to do, but with faith comes trust. I believe the two can get you through the toughest times in your life. With whatever you do, whether it is in God or not, just "believe."
49. We were provided with enough on Earth to survive. I think the truth is, we were provided with enough food and shelter on Earth for each and every single person on earth to survive. The only thing that is keeping people homeless and starving is other people. If every rich person gave away EVERYTHING they didn't need and kept just enough to survive, I truly believe there would be no more poverty on this planet. Now think, what can you do to help poverty?
50. Follow through. If you say you are going to do something for somebody then DO IT. There's nothing more frustrating than when someone says they will do something and they never do- you don't have to be that person. I lose trust in people who don't follow through with things; it's very very important to do that even if it's little. The best way to deal with this issue is to tell the person how it's making you feel and hope they take it to heart.
51. Don't grow up too fast. I don't mean live in your mom's basement until you're 40 playing video games... I mean that you have your whole life to be an adult. You can still act immature sometimes and have fun like kids do... and that doesn't mean you can't be responsible and respectful too. Yes, there are moments when being serious is important, but having fun is just as important or you will get too old too fast. I don't know if happy people live longer or not, but it makes the most sense to me that they will feel more fulfilled emotionally by the time they die!
52. You will learn until you die. When you do, I personally believe it is by choice. Learning makes you grow as a person... even dying is learning experience. Although you may stop physically growing, most can still grow mentally. Some people like to say you start to die from the day you are born, I like to think you can grow until they day you die if you want to.
53. Listen. It's easy to talk! Sit back and listen. Listen to people you normally wouldn't, listen to people trying to tell you things that are trying to help you and THINK about what they are saying. You might learn something, broaden your point of view or change your opinion.
54. Put yourself in other's shoes. If you are in an argument, (or you're very stubborn like me) it's verrrryyy hard to do sometimes. It's easy to be stubborn and narrow minded. Step back from the situation and seriously listen to what the other person is saying; analyze their thoughts and their words and try to feel their emotion.. because there is a reason they feel the way they do. If both people in the situation can LISTEN and comprehend each other’s thoughts and feelings, solving the situation may become easier.
55. You have changed the world. Yeah, YOU personally have changed the world already.. I've analyzed this and I think it's just kind of a cool thought.. I want to show you how important you actually are in the world; I will tell you through a story and a dumb little chart I've made.
When you look at this chart, picture yourself checking out in store. I have tried to come up with a few possibilities of what could happen WITH you and WITHOUT you.
Your life is a giant domino effect. The interesting thing is, you will never know how much your actions (no matter how big or small) will effect the people you come in contact with. In the chart above, I tried explaining that I believe the littlest things you do can have huge effects on people later on. The world as a whole would not be the same without you because you have indirectly effected SOOO many people without even knowing it. YOU are an extremely important part of this planet so don't forget that.
56. Take every opportunity you have. It's important to take opportunities that have come in front of you because you might not see it again! Take advantage of it! Learn from it! You will grow.
57. Be determined when you find something you want. Go for it. Don't give up because if you REALLY want something that badly, you'll get it. Of course it's important to have goals that are attainable, but think about those goals that you think may be unattainable.. and you get them. Can you imagine how amazing that must feel? I do. :)
58. What you don't know CAN hurt you because without knowledge you cannot fix, you cannot mend, you cannot change. Don't be ignorant because it's easier; your ignorance may hurt others.
59. Don’t compare a woman to another woman. A woman is beautiful the way she is and there is no other like her. Comparisons my hurt or damage a relationship because she may feel like she doesn’t meet your standards. I believe this rule is the same for men.
I will add more as I progress. When new things are added the date in subject line of this blog will change. Thanks for reading it, I hope you take it to heart.
Good list. A little lengthy, but I suppose you can't have a cliff notes version of life lessons!
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Mind Control is Easier Than You Think