LESSONS

How true! If only we could have that clarity in the present to go forward without having to look back.

 

“In four years from now the things that are important won’t be then,” Aunt Harriet   said.

 

At 18 I thought I knew it all. My anger & fear about the unknown future was masked by my too many opinions about everything, the Viet Nam War, spirituality, & everything in between.

 

Not listening to my aunt I only wanted to live life on my terms. I thought how cool if I could live four years & still be 18. Have the experience & wisdom and not age. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.

 

Lesson: Adults older than me may actually know what they are talking about.

 

Aunt Harriet was right. Four years later my perspective shifted. I had an fork lift accident, fell in love & got married, & became a believer in Jesus Christ. My concerns were for my wife & our future.

 

Lesson: A lot can happen in a short period of time.

 

I was disappointed when I turned 30. I thought I’d have arrived by then. Arrive where wasn’t that clear. For sure, I didn’t own a house like many of my peers. I had talents that weren’t fully in play yet. For sure I was getting paid enough.

 

Lesson: Age really is a number. To stop comparing myself to others.

 

The well was bone dry with no reserve. At 36, I had exhausted my energy & spiked my stress through quitting my job, losing the new job, moving the family twice in two years, and then got sick during a Gospel Outreach in Taiwan. This wasn’t the usual burn out where I sleep more and chill. It took me almost a year to fully recover my health.

 

Lesson: Life is a marathon, not a sprint. To watch my self-talk (usually fear & doubt) & to pace myself. That self-care is smart care.

 

 

“You know you’re getting old when coffee doesn’t work,” I said at 42. Working on my masters & working full time I put one foot in front of the other to do my job & finish my degree.

 

Lesson: I can focus on more than one thing & be successful in both.

 

No words can describe the force & fury of wind & rain pounding in a Category 5 hurricane. Hurricane Maria slammed Puerto Rico September 20, 2017. Going without electricity for 4 weeks, no internet or cell service for 6 weeks, long lines for gas & groceries with cash only put me on a personal pause & reset.

 

Lesson: At 66 I have much more to do & give. To be alive I must share my gifts. Which is what started me to develop The DNA of You website & the Success Compass.

 

Grandpa Pierce lived to be 91. My mother’s father was active physically & mentally his entire life. Once he told my brother Tobey & I this story.

 

“When I was in my 70’s my doctor told me to quit playing tennis. He died. In my 80’s the doctor suggested I should quit tennis. He died. You know what? I think I am going to keep playing tennis!”

 

And Grandpa did. Until he was in his late 80’s.

 

Lesson: Keep doing what you enjoy doing – it may keep you alive.

 

We shall not cease from exploration

And the end of all our exploring 

Will be to arrive where we started 

And know the place for the first time. 

 S. ELIOT

 

What are the lessons you have learned?

 

How have these lessons shaped your life?