I began compiling this list some time ago and I have revised it from time to time as I hopefully made some progress in my journey through life. I don’t claim that these ideas are universally true, just that they are true to me:
These Things I Know:
- Telling the truth and living the truth are not the same;
- Life is not fair;
- We must do our best nonetheless.
- The hardest thing to do is often the right thing to do;
- All of the best things that ever happened to me came after saying yes rather than no;
- You can’t make anyone love you;
- You are responsible for everything you do;
- You can’t really control the world around you;
- The past is dead; the future may never come; all that matters is now;
- Being free means accepting responsibility for your actions and acknowledging that the only thing you can ever really own are your thoughts and feelings;
- Saying hello is much easier than saying goodbye;
- Helping others is a duty. Many people helped you in the past to get to where you are. Now it is your turn to do the same;
- Inside, where it really matters, we are all the same;
- You will make mistakes, this is the foundation of all growth;
- When you face the things you fear, they will lose their power over you;
- If you have no regrets, you had no life;
- Do the right thing, even when no one is watching;
- When you are wrong, apologize and make amends;
- When you are right, do not apologize;
- Your life will be short no matter what you do, so you might as well do the things that please you.
14 comments:
This is an insightful list. It is so true in many ways.
If only we would start doing all those things and abstain from doing all those things which we already know we should not do
Jolene
jolene, I think the only way that we make progress in life is trying to implement thing in small ways. Radical change is quite hard, so these days I strive to try and improve in small baby steps. Even then it always is a struggle to fight to stay on the right side of our natures.
must ponder this as I vacuum
karen, step away from the vacuum!
This is one of the best lists I have seen. Very cool.
Great post today.
This list should be read every morning when you first get up.
cheers, parsnip
some I like even more than other... number 16 for instance
Laoch... LOVING THIS LIST... Pretty much ever single one I can relate to in some way.
Thank you for your insightful comment on my blog yesterday. I wrote a post thanking you...
You are a needed participate in my life, a man who doesn't mince words and just tells it like it is... that is why I cherish you...
Lisa
xo
No.4 is the story of my life.
Good list to live by and to remain flexible enough to add to it.
"When you are wrong, apologize and make amends;"
This was so hard for me to do when I was young. Now that I am approaching 50, I've come to realize how much more respect you earn when you just admit you made a mistake and apologize, instead of making excuses or trying to cover something up. People just want honesty...and you will go a long way by just following this one simple bit of advice.
All the rest is great too...thanks for your post.
Number 5? My favorite.......
I have seldom read anything I agree with more. I have collected a similar list and it seems we think alike.
carole, thanks, very nice of you to say.
ap, I reflect upon it all the time but sadly I am not always mindful of it.
belgium, I think that different things appeal to people at different points in heir lives.
nsss, I think you will be happier if you worry less and try to not to control the uncontrollable. I know it easier said than done, but it is a worthy goal.
natural one, yes, that is a hard one, that seems to come up for me all the time. I first read something similar to it in a novel by John D. MacDonald and I immediately recognized that it seemed to be always coming up in my life.
ac, being flexible is quite challenging.
terry, what you are saying rings very true for me. People can deal with most things if they know the truth.
mrs tuna, I struggle a lot with that one.
ro, I think it is a worthy process to think about these kind of issues.
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