Lesson 1: Only you can affect you.
You always have a choice. Be calm. Be insightful.
Lesson 2: If your friends are better to you than you are to them, then you have some catching up to do.
What have you done for a loved one today?
Lesson 3: Be as indestructible as the dandelion.
People may stomp on your spirit, cut you down physically and/or mentally, or spread poisonous lies about you; but just as the dandelion finds cracks in cement to reach for the sky, so must you.
Lesson 4: The past is just as important as the future.
You will learn much by the mistakes and triumphs of the past. Read about the great accomplishments and blunders of others, both are equally beneficial to your future. Look back in your own life. What people, places and events have molded you? Remembering how you got to your current position in life will be advantageous in guiding you towards future success.
Lesson 5: Why and How are the two most important words in the English language.
Ignorance is not bliss. Question everything. Re-examine everything you have been taught and told. If it is true then it will hold up to your scrutiny. If it is not true, then you will have learned a valuable lesson and ended the spread of false wisdom.
Lesson 6: Lying leads to cheating, cheating leads to stealing, stealing leads to killing, killing leads to making new “friends” in the prison shower.
Lesson 7: The best thing to do in a bad situation is to get out of it. There is a story in Islamic folklore where an Angel guarding the gates of Heaven asks a man why he had sinned. The man replied, “I was poor and oppressed by evil men and did what I had to do in order to survive.” The Angel asks, “Did God not make the Earth large enough for you to escape evil men?”
The Earth is large but your time on it is short. Don’t waste your time in the company of evil.
Lesson 8: As an individual, you are flawed and weak. As part of a team, you are perfect and unstoppable. Know you weaknesses and surround your self with people that don’t have them.
Lesson 9: It is better to follow the right advice from the wrong person than the wrong advice from the right person. Sometimes you can learn more from a homeless prostitute than you can from a successful preacher. When you have an issue, only seek advice from a person whom has overcome the issue or has a greater analytical ability than yourself.
… to be continued.
Aka Tito