12 Powerful Life Lessons

1. It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.

I believe this to be true and have experienced this with my own family. When I think of the times where we laughed the most or had the most fun – it was when we were doing the simplest things. Swimming in a pool, combing a beach for shells, playing a board game, or sharing a delicious meal – all simple things making up the best times we’ve had as a family.

Question: What were some of the happiest memories from your past? What were you doing?

2. Support your children in pursuit of their dreams.

In the beginning of the story the shepherd boy (named Santiago) tells his father he wants to travel and see the world. The father explains he wants his son to stay in the village and become a priest. But Santiago persists – being a priest is not his dream. What does his father do? He gives Santiago the small amount of money he had been saving for the boy and wished him well.

How many of us had parents who have – in not-so-subtle-ways – influenced us to take careers that were not in-line with our dreams? Be honest now, did you pick your current career because you’re passionate about the work or were you trying to make your parents proud? How do you feel about your career now?

As a parent, it’s difficult to accept when your child wants to take a path other than the one you had hoped and planned for them. But, it’s ok. Like my wife keeps telling me “give them roots and give them wings”. Give them a solid foundation of love, but give them the freedom to follow their dreams.

Question: What were some of your dreams as a child?

3. There is nothing to hold you back, except yourself.

There is only one question to ask yourself here: “What would you do if you were not afraid?” Think about it.

4. There is only one way to learn, and that is through action.

Trying to learn without doing is like trying to lose weight by watching someone else exercise. It’s just not going to work. We are all fundamentally hands-on learners.

Question: What would you like to learn? What next action step can you take?

5. Trust your gut (or Learn to recognize omens, and follow them.)

Many times our subconscious has already made a decision before we’ve caught up and made the same decision. Sometimes we don’t make the same decision and then ‘something does not feel right’ or there is a persistent naggingthat bothers us. Malcolm Gladwell wrote extensively about this phenomenon in his book titledBlink: The Power of Thinking without Thinking. Trust your gut – it may be more accurate than you think.

6. Follow your dreams.

There are many of us who dream our dreams without ever actually realizing any of them. For whatever reason we get locked in a “dream state” and never take action. We analyze too much and our dreams turn into giant mountains in our imagination that seem impossible to climb. As a result, we never learned that foreign language we’ve always wanted to learn, or traveled, or started that business, or written that book. Just think of the many bestsellers that would have been, but were never written.

The time is now, to awake from dreamland, to live the life we want and to achieve the extraordinary potential within us all.

Question: What are some dreams you’d like to realize now? Write them down on a piece of paper and make sure the success of their attainment is measurable.

7. Know what you want.

Set goals and make a plan to achieve them. It’s like the saying, “a goal that is never written down is nothing but a New Year’s resolution” – and we all know what happens to New Year’s resolutions.

8. Make a decision and dive in with massive action.

The river of life will take you to places that you have never imagined. Once you make a decision, take action. You’ll be surprised to find where it will lead.

9. Move on – always look forward.

It’s ok to look back once and a while, but don’t live in the past. You can visit “pity city” for a short time, but after a while you have to leave it all behind and walk on.

10. You will encounter obstacles and take detours while realizing your dreams.

As you strive to achieve your dreams, you can count on there being some setbacks and disappointments. Don’t get discouraged, the road to your dreams may not be an easy one. Think of these challenges as tests of persistence and courage that life throws at you during your quest. They were necessary and were meant to help you grow as a person.

Learn to adjust the sails of your life to unpredictable winds, while keeping your focus clear on your destination.

11. Don’t fear the unknown.

As long as you’re resourceful and have a few skills, you’ll be able to provide for yourself (and your family). Have confidence in yourselfat all times.

12. Learn to understand the universal language – the language without words.

There is so much more said from a person than just words alone. You can read the expression on someone’s face, sense their body language, or hear the tone in their voice – these thingsare all part of the unspoken language. The more conscious we become at noticing them, the better we become at interpreting them.

Question: What are some subtle unspoken gestures from the language of love?

Obstacle in our Path

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the king for not keeping the roads clear, But none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded.

After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the king indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway.

The peasant learned what many of us never understand. Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition.

Without feet..

"I complained because i didn't have shoes until i saw someone without feet."

Trust Him

"When GOD leads you to the edge of a cliff, Trust him fully.
Only two things can happen; either he will catch you when you fall or he will teach you how to fly."

and the Lonely boys just had sex. :)

"I just had sex...and it felt so good." 
-Lonely Island Ft. Akon 

Letting Go

"When people walk away from you, let them go. Your destiny is never tied to anyone who leaves you, and it doesn't mean they are bad people. It just means that their part in your story is over". 

Simply because..

Everything happens for a reason. . Always remember that whats meant to be will always find a way to come about.

Pickup in The Rain.

One night, at 11.30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car. A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab. She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him.

Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home. A special note was attached.. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Cleaning Lady

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello".

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.

Always remember those who serve. :)

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 -year-old boy entered a hotel
coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him

"How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked.

"Fifty cents," replied the waitress. The little boy pulled is hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient.

"Thirty-five cents," she brusquely replied. The little boy again counted his coins.

"I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. there, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies.. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.