Saying goodbye to 2011

It’s a real fun-ride of a year!  2011 had given me many learned lessons – some learned the easy way, some the hard way, a few with tears – nevertheless, all are treasured.  It’s nice saying goodbye to 2011 with bits of realizations.

Lesson 1: Every second counts!  In a split of a second, all can change, every second is important thus in every second something good has to be done.  A smile, a pat at the back or an encouraging word can change a second on someone else’s life. 

Lesson 2: Be generous of time.  Give even just a second.  A half-split of a second is worth sharing especially when spent to help, encourage and cheer up others.  A second of prayer, of thanksgiving is the best second spent in a day – be generous of your time to the Lord, give back to Him the time He gives you. 

Lesson 3: Be easy on others.  You never know the pains and sacrifices of others until you get to try on their shoes.  Be easy and be sincere in your dealings with them.  They are people with vulnerable emotions as you are. 

Lesson 4: Never force things that are not meant to be.  All things and circumstances come for a reason, even those that bring tears in our eyes – failures, end of a relationship, saying goodbye, catastrophes, conflicts – all these come for a reason, mostly to give us the lesson we deserve.  Accept the things that are meant to be and embrace gracefully those that are intended – pray for grace of acceptance.

Lesson 5: Saying goodbye to someone special is always hard.  But then people come and go in our lives.  And loving is also letting go. But never forget them.  Every person we meet is a messenger of lessons.

Lesson 6: Share, share and share some more.  Share the best things.  Sometimes it pained us to share something to someone, when that moment comes, ask the Lord to clean your heart from pain as life is meant for sharing.

Lesson 7: Pure intentions will make one happy.  Always pray for a clean heart.  Never think and most of all do something that may cause pain to others.  Neither would use others for personal gain.  Always be genuine in relating to others. 

Lesson 8: Empty your cup every day.  We are a repository of learning.  All those years, we learned a lot. Every day, we learn.  Lets empty our cup that we will learn some more, for how can we fill-in a cup that is already full?  Empty your cup daily so that you will not become resistant to new learning.  Learn, learn, learn. 

Lesson 9: Say sorry.  Be humble enough to accept mistakes but also be brave enough to stand for what is right. 

Lesson 10: Cry.  We need to clean our eyes, our heart.  Crying does not mean being weak.  It simply means we are human beings with weaknesses and emotions.  So, cry although not a lot.  Cry only for things, events or people that deserve your tears.  Still, never cry over spilt milk!

Lesson 11: Be the best that you can be.  Make it a practice to give the best shot in everything.  All things that are worth doing are worth doing well.   

Lesson 12: Never harbour negative feelings especially hatred! Learn to forgive easily.  And forgive completely.  Being mad is not mad and bad.  What makes it bad is how we channel it out. 

Lesson 13: Dream bigger than your life.  There is a bigger world outside your own world.  Conquer the bigger world and not just your own world - your comfort zone.  It is a wonderful bigger world.  See it, feel it, learn from it and love it.  Bigger world means more – more people, more chances, more experiences and yes even more despondencies – all these make life more exciting and worth-living. 

Summing all the things I learned in one lesson, it simply means Living life to the fullest and seizing every moment.  Living a full life would mean learning, loving, living as in living life in its full essence.  

Special thanks to Engr. Ruben Larano for his good thoughts while I was writing the last part of this post.