Dad’s Guide to Life: 12 MORE Things I Know Now, That I Wish I Knew Then
Okay, so there are WAY more than 20 things I wish I knew then, what I know now. So let’s break it up into parts and jump right into the next 12 things. Also, I keep learning new things that I can apply to the past that would have made a huge difference.
- Can’t Make Everyone Happy
Too many people in this world, not everyone is going to like you, like your stuff, agree with you, or think your creations and decisions are the best. Some might, outright, think you and what you do sucks. SO, its highly important to recognize this NOW. You can’t please everyone, so simply please yourself. It’s NOT your responsibility to make someone else happy. It’s their life, and it’s their own damn job to make themselves happy, so you go ahead and make yourself happy. THAT’S what you are responsible for. If you spend too much time making other people happy, you will waste the most valuable years of your life making other people happy instead of yourself. I DID THAT. It’s horrible and hard to recoup when you’re too old to make yourself happy.
2. No Shame in Not Knowing
You have two choices. You can make your home everything you know right now, or make your home in a place where you’re seeking knowledge. That place has to be a place where you don’t know all the answers. Your ultimate quest in life is to gain knowledge and develop yourself around what you know. It’s why we “know now” what we wish we “knew then”, because we were gaining knowledge then. Make your home where you don’t have all the answers, because then you will never stop learning from the people that do have the answers you seek. The most important people to get along with, are those who disagree with you. You will both learn something from each other.
3. Love is a Choice
You have full control. You can choose acting from a loving place, or a fearful place. Choosing love will always yield the most desired outcome in all scenarios. Choosing fear will destroy everything you’ve come to love. Choose love, every single time. Love let’s go. Fear attracts. If you fear something, it will haunt you, you will strangle it to prevent losing it, if you love something, you will let it fry free into the world, to grow and flourish, to become itself, and if it returns, it is because you let it find freedom.
4. Everything is Perspective
I can’t go too much deeper here. Every single event in human history can be viewed as good, or bad and it depends on who’s looking at it. Same stands for all the events of an individual life, it’s all about perspective. Want to change your world? Change your perspective of it. Change the way you look at a thing.
5. Take nothing for granted
Everything ends before you want it to. Cherish the time you have with those your love. Whether it be parents, kids, babies, friends, or otherwise, nothing comes to us by change. Enjoy it while you have it. The good stuff dies, the bad stuff fades away and leaves you with only the lesson, so cherish everything meaningful in your life. Good, bad, or ugly, cherish it all, because one day it will be gone, and it’s all important.
6. Let your self be surprised by people
Trust. Even if you know you’re going to get bit, reach out your hand in kindness. You’ll find that in return for your kindness, MOST people will reach out with their best foot. You’ll get bit from time to time, but don’t let that stop you from getting the best of people after one bad one bites you.
7. Make Every Moment Count
Everything you do, everything you work toward, everything you attempt, put your WHOLE SELF into it, and WILL matter MORE then anything and anyone. Love with ALL your heart. GIVE with all your love. Work with your entire self. Make it count. Make it meaningful.
8. Do Things that Scare you
What you do in your GREATEST TRIAL, will be your GREATEST TRIUMPH
9. Express your feelings clearly
Very important. Tell people how you feel in plain language. Do not bury it, do not hold it in. It will kill you slowly. Let your emotions OUT. If someone makes you feel bad, you tell them.
10. Travel….OFTEN
Every year that passes, I regret not going to more places. It’s not over yet, but you have a chance to see the world. Go to as many places as you possibly can. Gain insight on people who are different,experience other foods and cultures, and see the world! See your own country! See everything you can see! Go everywhere you can go! You only have one shot to see how the world lives and connect deeply with someone on the other side of the planet.
11. You have to put in an effort
It is one thing to wish and hope for all that you ever wanted, but nothing, and I mean nothing is EVER going to be handed to you on a silver platter. You have to take steps, every single day, toward what you want, to get what you want. Even if you only have 20 minutes to write that blog, book, or film that part of a video you’re working on, or work on that project you’re working on, take one tiny step each and every day, remember to rest once in awhile, but most days, work a little bit towards your goals, or you’ll never get where you want to go. You have to learn, and put in the effort.
12. Help Others
Its part of doing something meaningful in life. Helping is meaningful and it makes your feel good.
That’s all for today.
Thanks for reading, and if you have questions about life, and you aren’t my kids, email me at dadguidetolife@gmail.com or jaysguidetolife@gmail.com
Peace…
