I’ve been blessed to have a good number and variety of experiences in my life. I’ve accomplished difficult feats, I’ve worked with excellent colleagues, and I’ve worked with terrible colleagues. I’ve taken part in audacious things, I’ve failed at some of them, and I’ve learned a lot about dealing with people in general. Here, in no particular order, are 15 life lessons I’ve picked up so far:
Your physical and mental limits are often self-imposed. If you believe you can’t do something, you’ll probably try to prove yourself right. Give it an honest try before deciding it can’t be done.
Humility is a valuable attribute. If you’re the cat’s pajamas at something, that doesn’t mean you 1. can’t get better at it, 2. can’t become the cat’s pajamas at something else, and/or 3. can’t empower somebody else with the knowledge/experience you’ve gained.
You don’t need to formally hold a position of leadership to demonstrate it.
When you meet someone new, you probably have no idea what kinds of things, good or bad, they’ve lived through. Enter the relationship without assumptions, and allow your opinion of them to form based on the interactions you have with them. People are defined by more than what happened to them on their worst or their best day.
Married life – Without having unrealistic standards, be very choosy about who you’re willing to marry. If you take the time to choose well, it will pay off in spades.
You see things differently than I do. I don’t look at that as a reason to cancel you. Please reciprocate.
Life as a kid – When you’re young you see everything in terms of black and white, of right and wrong. When you grow up, almost everything is some varied shade of gray. Try to live your life as high contrast as you can, in the process making it easier for others to do the same.
There’s a time to laugh and a time to be serious, but the former should outweigh the latter.
When you look back at your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t do more than the things you did.
Adventure sports where there’s risk to life/limb (skydiving, rappelling, whitewater sports) – there are three things most important when risking your life or someone else’s: the quality of your team, the quality of your gear, and the quality of your preparation (including the caliber of your instruction). Skimp on one or more of these at your peril.
Air Force – You’re facing big challenges, you’re pressed for time, and there are more challenges knocking on the door. You can go the fast/easy route, but if you get brutally honest, the best way is probably going to end up being the most painful one. Save effort where you can, but if you wouldn’t be willing to do it all over again a second or third time, don’t cut corners.
Parenting – Little kids, little problems. Big kids, big problems. Whatever stage of parenting you’re in, enjoy the here and now, because it goes by quickly, and they (and their problems) are getting bigger right in front of you.
Aging and losing the ability to do things you formerly could – Know the difference between griping about it and moping about it. Your toolset changes over time; maintain enough mental agility to always leverage your current strengths.
Professional analysis – If you genuinely want to be objective about something, gather lots of information while waiting as long as you can before forming an opinion about it. Once you’ve formed an opinion, it takes a surprising amount of slap-you-in-the-face evidence to sway you from it, even if it’s wrong.
Just because I’m right doesn’t mean you’re wrong (and vice versa).
Any of these stand out to you? Which one strikes a chord?