Hindsight is 20/20. When we look back on the past, we’re able to see with a clarity we don’t have going into the future.
While I don’t have the ability to go back into my past and prevent myself from repeating the same mistakes, I can share what I wish I would have known growing up.
My hope is you can learn from my mistakes. You can storm the future with confidence. You can grow much quicker than I did.
There’s things I wish I knew growing up. Things I wish I didn’t have to go through. But, other than one thing, I’m not sure there’s much I would change.
Everything has happened for a reason. I’ve grown, I’ve stretched, I’ve become a better person and leader from these trials.
1. Keeping your mouth shut will help you avoid unneeded pain: Who hasn’t said something stupid? I can’t raise my hand to this one and that’s why I wish I knew how to keep my mouth shut when I was younger.
There were situations where keeping my mouth shut would have come in real handy. Like the time I was asked not to come back to church.
Had I held my tongue, I wouldn’t have suffered the pain I went through during those rough days.
2. Disrespecting leadership isn’t cool: This goes hand-in-hand with my first point. Leadership has been put into our lives for a reason.
We may need to learn self-control, patience, or some other leadership trait.
Disrespecting a leader also shows a lack of maturity. We’re tearing down someone who has authority over us. Don’t mess it up!
One day you may be the leader who’s being badmouthed. Think about that.
3. Our actions have consequences: You’ve probably figured this one out as well. Whatever actions we taken, there will be consequences for them.
Negative actions beget negative consequences. Positive actions beget positive reactions.
4. Always look for life’s lessons: Life has so many lessons to teach us.
The dawning of a new day. The blooming flowers during spring. The death fall and winter bring upon us.
Life is always ready to teach us something. Be willing to listen to what life has to say.
5. Money isn’t everything: TV, movies, the news… They all tell us that fame and fortune is what matters in life. But it’s not.
The media is lying to us. Fame and fortune is fleeting.
Instead, what’s important is family, friends, helping others.
6. I’m not always right: Whoa, did I just say I’m not always right? Yup, I did. And neither are you.
We don’t have all the information. We don’t know everything there is to know in the world. We actually know very little.
So realize you won’t always be right. And be okay with this.
7. Failure doesn’t equal death: Throughout a lot of my life I’ve been scared.
Scared of failure. Scared of falling. Scared of saying the wrong thing.
More than anything, I’ve been scared to fail.
When I started this blog, I didn’t share it with anyone. Not even my family. It was kept hidden because I was scared of failing.
Silly, huh?
While the blog didn’t fail, there’s been other failures. They didn’t equal death either.
Don’t be scared of failure. Instead, welcome it.
Okay, so maybe it’s not that I didn’t know these things. It’s that I failed to heed what I knew.
Don’t be like me. Realize these truths in your life. Listen to them. Let them guide you.
Question: What do you wish you had known growing up? Please share it in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.