Nuggets of Wisdom

Children learn well when they see their parents live the wisdom that they are teaching them. We want our children to learn from every experience that they pass through in their life’s journey. Thus, they must watch us gain more wisdom as we ourselves face the challenges of life. Following are some of my favorite nuggets of wisdom that I speak to my children and do my best model to them.

You will go through coveting the hip toys, gadgets and branded stuff.  You will soon outgrow these because these are just stuff. You will realize that these stuff do not define you; these stuff are the result of ingenious marketing.

Enjoy every stage of your life. Don’t attempt to grow fast. Stop donning my clothes and shoes; don’t put on my make-up (though it can be funny, at times).  Enjoy your childhood because when you become an adult, tons of responsibilities may weigh you down.  At the moment, enjoy your carefree life.

Friends will come and go, though you feel that they are your everything. Friends may hurt you, but real friends will stick it out with you. So remember it may bruise when they hurt your feelings but those wounds will heal and you'll overcome.

All things will pass away except the word of God. Our children will face problems and frustrations as they grow up and mature. Problems will cause them to feel like it’s the end of the world. Remind them that this too will pass. Everything will get better soon. Remind them to go back to the word of God which tells them that they are loved and God has a perfect plan for them. Help them to turn those problems into challenges so that after their episode in the stormy sea they can spring board to a sunny hill.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; it is part of growing up. Mistakes just mean that you are living life. However, make sure that you learn from your every mistake. What is important is that when you fall down, you must rise up and try again till you get it right. Mistakes are part of your experiences and an experience is the best teacher.

Live and love life, warts and all. Never be afraid to love with all your heart. Yes, you may get hurt but you will not know the joys of love till you experience it. Never allow pessimism to consume your existence. Stay positive and embrace both the challenges and blessings that life may throw at you. Everything happens for a reason; today, you may feel sorry because you think what happened will not benefit you. Be optimistic because in the end, all these will make sense. God has a reason for everything; nothing happens at random because He has a plan and purpose in everything.

No matter what, do not give up on your dreams. Dreams are what keep us alive and kicking. Never let anyone or any circumstance cause you to give up your dreams. Dreams are for winners so you should never give up. When you meet a setback, re-evaluate the path you're taking and try things out in a different angle. Go back to your dream, strategize and re-create your plan.

Laughter is still the best medicine. When problems arise, find humor in it. Laughter will relax you and will give you peace of mind which will enable you to come up with solutions to whatever issue you may be facing.

Do not be afraid to speak your mind; every human being is entitled to this speak his mind. You are entitled to a freedom of thought and speech. Do not live in silence as this is not good for your health; speak up if you feel hurt. Be strong and no matter what, be yourself and express your thoughts and feelings. What matters is how you say it. If you don’t agree, say it in such a way that is not offending.  

Live each day like it’s your last. Don't let an opportunity get passed you because opportunity knocks only once and you only live once. Take up the challenge and be bold. Seize the day and be happy! 

Habits that Impair Our Personal Growth

We don’t want to admit it, but we have habits that impair our personal growth.

Habits are a result of influences, training, observation, and practice. Much as we want to, we only desire habits that would promote personal growth. But unfortunately and sometimes unknowingly, we develop some habits that impair our personal growth.

To improve our personal growth, we must learn to keep good habits and command bad habits to take a hike and not come back. However, getting rid of bad habits is not easy. Though getting rid of bad habits is not easy, it is also not impossible especially if our motivation is to improve our personal growth.

One of the bad habits that must take a hike is making excuses. People wander through life making excuses. Anytime a person sees something complicated, they will often make excuses why they cannot deal with the issue. “This is just the way I am”, is a common statement we hear. We may have even uttered this sentence in the past a number of times.  But if you desire to improve your life, you need to say, “This is something that hinders me from my goal; I have the power to change it!” Stop making excuses about the circumstances around you; stop blaming people, your country or even your family.

One of the keys to stop making excuses is to know the truth and tell the truth. When you know the truth, tell the truth and are committed to following the truth, you can commit to learning new behaviors and habits. Knowing the truth will help you commit to choosing a new habit. The numbers prove it, you are overweight. Yet you put-off taking measures to get you back in shape by making excuses that other people are heavier than you. But if you know the truth and are convinced by the truth, you must commit to do something about that truth to improve our personal life. The habit of daily exercises even for a only a few minutes will make a huge change not only to your physical health but more importantly to your character.

Another common bad habit is judging – either judging others or yourself. Instead of judging other people or yourself, commit to correct what you think is wrong and do your part in helping to make our world a better place.  Nagging and anger will not get you anywhere. Stop judging but keep helping.

Are you a pessimist? “I can’t change this. My life is full of nonsense, I can’t swing it anymore. Why me?”  Let Joy (from the Inside Out movie) rule in your mind instead of Fear, Anger, and Disgust.  Instead of saying life is full of nonsense; accept it as truth yet move ahead to make your life better. Why me is a common question, which no one knows why, yet we have to accept it, make better decisions and move ahead.

If you feel persecuted, ask yourself what you are doing that makes you feel this way. Do you have friends or family members weighing you down? If so, kick their butt down the road and make new friends. You have the power to make changes; you have the power to change yourself but you do not have the power to change other people. Therefore, focus only on that or those which you can change.

Bad habits are harder to kick out than good habits. Thus, you need to take baby steps to success. Too many times people try to change overnight. This only leads to frustration and the tendency to give up. Baby steps will help you improve a little at a time and brings you closer to kicking those bad habits that impair your personal growth.

Ask a friend or a family member to be your accountability partner; someone who will remind you that you are going out of your path to kicking out a habit. The light nudge will help you get back on track and your accountability partner is your cheerer boosting your morale to move on and succeed.