Day 3, New Thing Every Day: Write a List of 10+ Life Lessons

This was a fun exercise. The first several lessons poured out of my brain fairly quickly, and I had to give extra thought to get to the final four or five. They are all super important lessons for me, though, and have been essential in making me who I am.

Everyone should do this exercise because it forces us to think about who we are and how we became whomever that is.  There are plenty of people in this life who never engage in this sort of introspection, and I think they are missing out. Understanding the answers to these sorts of questions is the first step to knowing ourselves, and becoming better people.

It was also powerful for me, by the way, to think about where I learned each lesson (at least, to the best of my ability). Going through that process made me dig a little deeper, which made the whole process more valuable to me.

Here's my list.

1.              Don’t sweat the little stuff.  (Richard Spence, my dad)
2.              It’s all little stuff. (Richard Spence, my dad)
3.              “What were you worried about on this day, six months ago? You don’t remember and you won’t remember what worries you today. So don’t worry.” (Bill McKenna, former boss)
4.              Don’t get upset about what has happened, just focus on making things better in the future.” (Ed Payton, former boss)
5.              Don’t buy on credit/get into debt.” (Dave Ramsey, radio guy)
6.              Someone will always be smarter or better looking or whatever, but you can still be the best by working harder than anyone else.” (unknown)
7.              Don’t take any crap, from anyone. (Shirley Spence, my mom)
8.              It is never too late to fall in true love. (Leigh Spence, wife)
9.              There are all kinds of people in the world, and they all have value. (Dean Andersen, friend)
10.          Always tell the truth. (Richard & Shirley Spence, my parents)
11.      Accept the hard things in life; they are what build your character. (Richard Spence, my dad)
12.      Be patient. If it is not time to know something (at work, or home, or whatever), then don't think about it until the time comes. (Joe Maxwell, former boss)

View the Complete List of My Planned 365 Things