Things I've Learned

has this been posted before? oh well...enjoy lovies

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Remember:

"A good friend will not come bail you out of jail....
But a true friend will be sitting next to you saying .. WE screwed up!

I've learned....That life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.

I've learned....That we should be glad God doesn't give us everything we ask for.

I've learned....That money doesn't buy class.

I've learned...That it's those small daily happenings that make life so spectacular.

I've learned...That under everyone's hard shell is someone who wants to be appreciated and loved.

I've learned....That to ignore the facts does not change the facts.

I've learned....That when you plan to get even with someone, you are only letting that person continue to hurt you.

I've learned..That love, not time, heals all wounds.


I've learned...That the easiest way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people smarter than I am.

I've learned....That everyone you meet deserves to be greeted with a smile.

I've learned...That no one is perfect until you fall in love with them.

I've learned....That life is tough, but I'm tougher.

I've learned...That opportunities are never lost; someone will take the ones you miss.

I've learned...That when you harbor bitterness, happiness will dock elsewhere.

I've learned...That I wish I could have told those I cared about that I love them one more time before they passed away.

I've learned....That one should keep his words both soft and tender, because tomorrow he may have to eat them.

I've learned....That a smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.

I've learned....That! I can't choose how I feel, but I can choose what I do about it.

I've learned....That everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness, and growth occurs while you're climbing it.

I've learned....That the less time I have to work, the more things I get done.

Hi Greeneyedgirl,
All of what you said is very very ture.


The Shadow

Good One ....I have that saved to my PC

Heres one of my favorites from a book called..All I Reallly Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarden...but Robert Fulgam

1. Share Everything
2. Play Fair
3. Don't Hit People
4. Put things back where you found them
5. Clean up your own mess
6. Don't take things that aren't yours
7. Say your sorry when you hurt somebody
8. Wash your hands before you eat
9. Flush
10. Warm Cookies and cold milk are good for you
11. Live a balanced life-learn some and think some and draw some and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some
12. Take a nap everyday
13. When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together
14. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the strofoam cup: The roots go down and plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we we are all like that
15. Goldfish and hampsters and white mice and even the little seed in the cup - they all die. So do we.

And then remember the Dick and Jane books and the first word you learned-the biggest word of all - LOOK

I love this kind of stuff...and here's another great one from "The Voice of Knowledge" by Don Miguel Ruiz

The Four Simple Agreements can take you all the way to your integrity:

1) Be impeccable with your word because you USE the word to create YOUR OWN STORY
2) Don't Take ANYTHING personally....because you live in your OWN story and other people live in THEIR own story
3) Don't Make ASSUMPTIONS ...because most assumptions are NOT the truth...they are fiction and when the storyteller makes up stories-especially about other storytellers this creates BIG DRAMA
4) Always Do Your Best - because this keeps the voices of knowledge from JUDGING you, and by TAKING action, you KEEP THE VOICE FROM TALKING TO YOU

I strive to live by these words...each and everyday...somedays it's a struggle..and I screw up...but I pick up and just keep going on...cos life is not easy...for ANY of us.

Thanks for starting this post Tracy...I'm sure it will help alot of people to keep certain important things in mind before judging others. :)

yes ma'am


little reminders to try to keep ourselves focused can never hurt

Oh yeah, this whole thread is about ME isn't it? I know, I know. Don't deny it. You're all talking about ME!!!

Only kidding. Jeepers some great advice here. How do we KEEP IT IN FRONT OF OUR MINDS???? Oh geez, there's the answer right at the bottom of my post: mindfulness.

Thanks everyone. Great stuff.

This article is a very informative about a new book just published on things we've learned....or maybe "should" have learned to live a satisfying life...I think I may have to purchase and read this one! It's kind of blends well with this post ...so thought I'd throw it in here...for whomever might be interested.

The high road to happiness :)

Sunday, July 17, 2005

By Nancy Van Valkenburg
Standard-Examiner staff

Five principles help solve ethical questions

Bruce Weinstein has discovered the secret to a rich, happy, satisfying life.

The way to feel good is to do good.

It's as simple as that, said Weinstein, also known as The Ethics Guy and author of books including "Life Principles: Feeling Good by Doing Good" (Emmis Books, 2005, $17.95).

"If you are making the right ethical choices, you feel good about yourself and you are a positive force in the world," said Weinstein, a 44-year-old New York City resident who began writing a syndicated ethics column last September.

Weinstein, a former philosophy professor, freely admits that the ideas in his book are not new. But judging from the response to his books and columns, and to his appearances as an ethics specialist on media news shows, the nation seems ready to listen to a plan for better, more positive behavior.

"There's nothing in this book that you haven't learned as a child or in church or through living in our society," he said. "But for some reason, people are really interested right now."

Everyday life is full of sticky ethical questions.

You spot your best friend's spouse locked in an embrace with a stranger.

A relative who deeply offended you has begged for forgiveness.

You find your teen's diary unlocked, and you are curious.

You witness a classmate cheating on a test.

The neighbors' rowdy kids are disturbing your peace.

What should you do? What can you say?

Weinstein has distilled the answer into five life principles, which can be applied to any situation.

Do no harm

Make things better

Respect others

Be fair

Be loving

In the case of the cheating spouse, feel free to request an explanation from the cheater, but do no harm to your innocent friend with blunt, premature declarations.

Offending, regretful relative? Make things better in your relationship by giving a second chance. Open diary? Respect others. Cheating classmate? Be fair to yourself and your classmates who did not cheat by revealing the situation to the test giver.

Rowdy neighbor kids? If their parents can't control them, your yelling and complaining isn't going to do the trick. When you can't avoid the kids, be loving, for their sake and for your own.

"Ultimately, it is up to us to decide what kind of life we want to live," Weinstein writes in his book. "We can take the low road and think primarily or exclusively about our own needs and desires. We can steal when no one is looking, cheat whenever we are able, lie when it is convenient or break promises when something better comes along. We can resolve conflict with force rather than persuasion, because in the short run it is possible to conquer with violence, but peaceable solutions take time and effort.

"Or we can reacquaint ourselves with the five life principles."

Ethics rule

Weinstein began his studies of ethics as a Swarthmore College student and continued with a doctorate in medical ethics from Georgetown University. After six years teaching ethics to medical students, he decided he was ready for a bigger audience.

"I left academia in 1995, and I decided to make the world my classroom," he said. "Ethics are too important to be left to academics. I felt the need to engage the world at large. If ethical issues are mentioned at all in the media, it's by psychologists or lawyers, or people who are experts, but not in ethics. I thought there need to be experts in ethics as well."

He formed Ethics and Work Incorporated and began speaking and consulting to businesses and nonprofit organizations, and appearing as a guest lecturer at universities.

Media interest followed, and Weinstein found himself booked as a guest on Fox News Channel, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and a long list of broadcast news programs.

"There has been a lot of interest in stories like Kervorkian, Terri Shiavo and Enron," Weinstein said, referring to right-to-live-or-die issues and a case of corporate corruption.

"But ethics is about smaller issues as well. Does being honest require you to hurt your friends' feelings? Is it ever OK to lie? Starting off the book with a quiz about ordinary situations sets an entirely different tone."

The use of quizzes and a question/answer format to illustrate points makes "Life Principles: Feeling Good by Doing Good" shorter and easier to read, Weinstein said.

"And in an age where people have so little time for reading, that helps."

Making a difference?

Weinstein said it is clear by response to his work that the message is getting out. Still, he doesn't know if the principles he advocates are being practiced.

"The people who write about my column are usually the ones who want to tell me I'm wrong," he said. "People who agree don't tend to write. And I know as people get older, it's much harder to change their ways of thinking and doing things. People are used to doing things certain ways."

Weinstein enjoys writing even when reader feedback is negative or limited, he said. Writing on issues helps him clarify his own feelings and opinions on complex matters, he said.

"I try to put out a good, positive message," Weinstein said. "That's all I can do."

He does admit to some self-doubt. Then again, he is encouraged by the small indications that people faced with an ethical dilemma are striving to take the high road.

"I always bring a box of books with me when I speak," Weinstein said. "I used to sell one or two, and now I sell out and have to bring extra order forms. After one appearance, a woman who had ordered a book and paid me came running back, waving a dollar bill. She told me the change I gave her had two bills stuck together. Maybe she was just trying to impress me, but I never would have known I gave her extra change. It made my day."

Images and text copyright © 2005 by Ogden Publishing Corporation. Reproduction or reuse prohibited without written consent.

Thank you greeneyedgirl! What a wonderful post! It warmed my heart and made me smile!