Learning is something that we start doing at birth and doesn’t stop until we die. It’s one of the few constants in life that you know will never end. We may not pay attention to the fact that we’re learning things, we may not like what we’re learning or the lessons being taught to us, but the real magic happens when you are hungry to learn. When you’re at a stage in life where you’re excited about the day because you know something new will come up.
For some lucky people, this starts young and doesn’t end. Others start out gung-ho and excited about things but it tends to die down. I guess it goes in stages. Sometimes your learning curve is out of this world, other times you’ve learned a bunch and now you need to put it in to practice.
I was thinking about lessons that I’ve learned thus far.
So, here are some of the most important lessons I’ve learned in my life so far. In absolutely no specific order whatsoever.
1. Live with integrity.
I’ve been fortunate enough to have seen what a good man is since I was born. I’ve got a great Dad who’s taught me more by his his actions than he has by words which makes me feel very lucky and fortunate. I didn’t have to look far to see what it was to be a man who had integrity.
Nobody’s perfect by any means. But I think it’s important to have principles that you not only believe but you follow.
2. Stand up for yourself.
I told you the story about my Dad telling me it was okay to fight back if the guy deserved it, and then me punching the kid the first time I saw him after the father-son-conversation, even though the kid was being nicer to me than ever before. If you haven’t read it here it is…
During school I’d stand up for myself a bit too much, even looking for opportunities here and there, which ended up getting me in a fair bit of trouble. So the point isn’t just to stand up for yourself whenever you can, it’s more about being proud of who you are and not getting pushed around.
Don’t victimize people, but also don’t be a victim yourself.
3. Actions speak louder than words.
I’ve been around people who talk a big game, and around others who walk a big game.
It’s a lot more impressive to see someone really making the most out of life without hearing all that they’re doing. It’s great to be excited about something, and share it with people, but it’s a bit much to claim this and that, or boast about this and that.
Everyone falls into that role every now and then I’m sure. But it is really refreshing to see someone who just loves what they do, loves people, works hard, helps people as much as they can and don’t tell the whole world about the great things they are doing.
These are 3 of the most important lessons I’ve learned thus far, mainly just about living a good life and being the best person you can be.
I’ll be putting up a part 2 soon so keep your eyes open!
I’d love to hear some of the lessons you’ve learned or are learning too! Any topic’s fine.
