I Have Learned...

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts, I found this and wanted to share it with you.

I Have Learned
by Omer B. Washington

I’ve learned-
that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved. The rest is up to them.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how much I care, some people just don’t care back.

I’ve learned-
that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how good a friend is, they’re going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I’ve learned-
that it’s not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.

I’ve learned-
that you should never ruin an apology with an excuse.

I’ve learned-
that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes. After that, you’d better know something.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t compare yourself to the best others can do.

I’ve learned-
that you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I’ve learned-
that it’s taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.

I’ve learned-
that you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I’ve learned-
that you can keep going long after you can’t.

I’ve learned-
that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I’ve learned-
that either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I’ve learned-
that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first, the passion fades and there had better be something else to take its place.

I’ve learned-
that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I’ve learned-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I’ve learned-
that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you’re down will be the ones to help you get back up.

I’ve learned-
that sometimes when I’m angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn’t give me the right to be cruel.

I’ve learned-
that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.

I’ve learned-
that just because someone doesn’t love you the way you want them to doesn’t mean they don’t love you with all they have.

I’ve learned-
that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you’ve had and what you’ve learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you’ve celebrated.

I’ve learned-
that you should never tell a child their dreams are unlikely or outlandish. Few things are more humiliating, and what a tragedy it would be if they believed it.

I’ve learned-
that your family won’t always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren’t related to can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again. Families aren’t biological.

I’ve learned-
that it isn’t always enough to be forgiven by others. Sometimes you are to learn to forgive yourself.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn’t stop for your grief.

I’ve learned-
that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I’ve learned-
that a rich person is not the one who has the most, but is one who needs the least.

I’ve learned-
that just because two people argue, it doesn’t mean they don’t love each other. And just because they don’t argue, it doesn’t mean they do.

I’ve learned-
that we don’t have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I’ve learned-
that you shouldn’t be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life forever.

I’ve learned-
that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I’ve learned-
that no matter how you try to protect your children, they will eventually get hurt and you will hurt in the process.

I’ve learned-
that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.

I’ve learned-
that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I’ve learned-
that the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

I’ve learned-
that it’s hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people’s feelings, and standing up for what you believe.

I’ve learned-
that people will forget what you said, and people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.

Cliffhanger

News
No new updates for this week.

Instead of sharing a quote and my thoughts this week, I wanted to share this story I found with you:

Story

One day while walking through the wilderness a man stumbled upon a vicious tiger. He ran but soon came to the edge of a high cliff. Desperate to save himself, he climbed down a vine and dangled over the fatal precipice.

As he hung there, two mice appeared from a hole in the cliff and began gnawing on the vine.

Suddenly, he noticed on the vine a plump wild strawberry. He plucked it and popped it in his mouth. It was incredibly delicious!

I encourage you to spend some time pondering it's meaning.

Entertaining Thoughts

News
No new updates for this week.

Quote
”It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”
- Aristotle

My Thoughts
I believe this quote contains a lot of wisdom and yet it can be so hard to put into practice. The vast majority of us think what we are doing is correct so it can be very difficult to even consider other options. Not to mention we have all these belief systems, conditioning, emotions, etc... that are deep rooted, so often times are minds are made up without really thinking.

If you spend time examining other peoples' points of view, considering different opinions, then it can allow you to view the world through a more objective lens. Why does that matter? Well it can help you relate to the world better and if you can relate to the world better then gradually you can release judgments. Ultimately this can bring a better quality of life.

I'll share a short story with you which I hope better illustrates my point.

I've lived in Korea for a total of 12 years. During this time I've had to look at my beliefs numerous times. As many of you know I am from the US. Every country has it's own version of history and also what it believes to be the best way... aka the right way.
When I first came to Korea there were many things that confused me and I thought it would be better if they did something in a different way.

What I was doing is taking all of my preconceived notions about what was right or what was wrong, or a good way of doing something vs. a bad way, and placing it on a different culture. Of course that different culture also has their own beliefs.

I went through the typical psychological stages that almost all foreigners living in a country go through. First I was excited  by everything. Then I started to find things I didn't like. Next I started judging people and thinking my ways were better (ex: In the US we do it this way, it would be so much better if Korea did....). After some time I started questioning my own belief systems and eventually I ended up loving Korea. I think it also helps to study the countries history from multiple sources and try and learn the language.

Does that mean I think everything is perfect? No it doesn't. But everything isn't perfect were I am from either.

I've learned to accept that everyone (including countries as a whole) are doing what's best for them, or at least what they perceive to be best. We all have to go through our own growing pains.
To come to this realization I had to start by questioning my own belief systems.

I encourage you this week to try and entertain a different point of view.