Ten Life Lessons to Unlearn

I blame my friend & fellow blogger, Leila!  Her posts often make me think, but today’s made my gears turn and fingers type immediately.   So, here goes.  Here are ten things things that I (we all?) need to unlearn in this life to make it a little more enjoyable and, dare I say, just as complete & worthy.

1. I am what I do.  Okay, those who know me know that I have been working on this one for a while, but it’s still at the top of my list.  Work is just that.  Work.  Toil.  A means to an end.  I will not let it identify me or take over my life!
2. More is better.  It’s not.  It’s only more.  The bigger house, shinier car, etc.  It’s all only more.  I have enough.  In fact, I have more than most people on this rock we call earth.  I need to recognize that fact any spend more time enjoying the blessings I have been given.
3. My past defines me.  Okay, I know better than that one already!  Still, it’s important to remind oneself on occasion – the things that have happened in life are just that. . .things, events, PAST.  Nothing defines us but our faith in God and our actions today.  Furthermore, I truly believe that I could not have become the person I am today without those 13,367 days that preceded this one.  And, frankly, I am pretty fond of today’s version of me.
4. Success is a shared goal.  We all have different goals in life.  My idea of success is not the same as yours, and we both know that.  So, why do we continue to measure ourselves against one another?  My office mate who lost more weight, or my classmate who out-performed me on a test. . . they are not better, they just have different abilities and priorities.
5. Loss is bad.  While it rarely feels like it in the moment, loss can be a great thing!  It is often God’s way of making space for something even better.  But, even when loss is just loss it still helps mold our character and level of understanding for our fellow man.  And that is a good thing.
6. Have reasonable expectations. Bullox.  That’s just another way of saying lower your expectations.  Guess what?  I have high expectations and I will not apologize for them.  So whether you are a colleague missing a deadline or a friend forgetting our plans, I am disappointed.  Don’t worry though, I have a well-honed capacity for forgiveness.
7. People’s opinions count.  No.  They don’t.  Unless you are Jesus Christ Himself, my boss or my (as yet unappointed) spouse then your opinion is nothing more than the way YOU look at the world.  It has no bearing on me unless I let it.  While I do like to ‘process’ things with several people, at the end of the day my decisions are mine.  So, if you don’t like the color I painted my toenails, the house I live in or the courses I am studying. . .tough luck.
8. Shh, nice girls are quiet.  I have plenty to say. . .and I will say it.  No point feeling bad about being me.  Me happens to be an opinionated & vocal person.
9. Better safe than sorry. Okay, sometimes this one is true.  But, mostly not.  Sure the world is a dangerous place (no one gets out alive), however, I am going to live while I am here.   I do not believe that God put us on this earth to create safe little cocoons to protect ourselves from His very creation.  There is not much point to living if you aren’t LIVING.  So, load your gun, buckle your seat belt, pay your taxes, put batteries in the smoke alarm. . .and have some fun!!
10. “I have to be Perfect – No, I do not.  Perfection is a vastly overrated attribute that can not be achieved.  I hate to be held hostage to the Perfect paradigm by people who are not perfect themselves.” I stole this one from Leila. Only to add: Jesus is the only perfect one to ever walk this earth.  You can’t hold yourself up to that standard, so don’t try to hold me up to it either. . . .and I will try to remember not to hold myself to it.

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