Perhaps the only major advantage of getting older is the prospect of getting wiser. I think I’ve learned a great many things over the years but here are a dozen of my most treasured insights.
1) I am still a work in process; that as long as I can think, I can learn.
2) I still have a lot to learn but if I keep learning, I will get better; and the better I get, the happier I will be.
3) Trying to be a good person doesn’t get any easier and that being a good person often requires me to do the right thing even when it costs more than I want to pay.
4) Kindness is more important than cleverness and that carrying grudges is foolish and self-defeating.
5) My dad was right when he told me, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way,” and that tenacity is more important to success than talent.
6) Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional and that I have a lot to say about my own happiness.
7) A life focused on fun and pleasure rarely leads to happiness or fulfillment.
8) In my personal relationships and in the workplace, I’ve got to set limits because whatever I allow, I encourage.
9) The things I like to do least are often the things that need to be done most.
10) It’s easy to fall into self-righteousness and that neither the intensity of my feelings nor the certainty of my convictions is any assurance that I’m right.
11) Unless I translate my thoughts into actions, my great ideas and good intentions are like unlit candles.
12) I cannot lie myself out of a problem and that the problems I ignore don’t go away, they just grow bigger.
Editor's note: This article first appeared in the Capital City Free Pres on December 19, 2016.
This article was published by the Josephson Institute.
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