2015 has been the best year of my life. I think because I lived each and every moment like it was my last. It has also been a year of self-discovery and self-acceptance… for the first time in my life I have peace that the world never gave me… I have learned how to free my mind and soul of things that were never true and never really mattered. This year I found the God of my understanding and released the one of my childhood… that one simply didn’t work for me.
This year I decided I have nothing to hide… all the bumps and bruises and disasters of my life are part of me… no need to sugar coat anything. At an early age I learned to drink, drug, smoke, curse and even steal ashtrays from hotel rooms where I committed adultery. I have seen and done everything except Michael Jackson and I would have done him if I’d had the chance!
In 2015, I have laughed and cried … I’ve been afraid and I’ve been hurt… I’ve found love and I’ve lost friends. I’ve worried and I’ve felt alone… above all I’ve never given up hope… I’ve stayed sober and I have lived!
To the 10,000 wonderful souls that read my blog I want to say… Thank you!
This is what I’ve learned in 2015 …
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Always swallow your pride to say you’re Being too proud to apologize is never worth it — your relationship suffers for no good benefit.
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Possessions are worse than worthless — they’re They add no value to your life, and cost you everything. Not just the money required to buy them, but the time and money spent shopping for them, maintaining them, worrying about them, insuring them, fixing them, etc.
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The moment is all there is. All our worries and plans about the future, all our replaying of things that happened in the past — it’s all in our heads, and it just distracts us from fully living right now. Let go of all that, and just focus on what you’re doing, right at this moment. In this way, any activity can be meditation.
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When your partner asks for your attention, always grant it. Give them your full attention, and instead of being annoyed at the interruption, be grateful for the reminder to spend time with someone you
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Don’t go into debt. That includes credit card debt, student debt, home debt, personal loans, auto loans. We think they’re necessary but they’re not, at all. They cause more headaches than they’re worth, they can ruin lives, and they cost us way more than we get. Spend less than you earn, go without until you have the money.
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I’m not cool, and I’m cool with that. I wasted much energy when I was younger worrying about being cool. It is way more fun to forget about that, and just be yourself.
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You cannot motivate people. The best you can hope for is to inspire them with your
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You will miss a ton, but that is We are so caught up in trying to do everything, experience all the essential things, not miss out on anything important … that we forget the simple fact that we cannot experience everything. That physical reality dictates we’ll miss most things. We cannot read all the good books, watch all the good films, go to all the best cities in the world, try all the best restaurants, meet all the great people. However, the secret is: life is better when we do not try to do everything. Learn to enjoy the slice of life you experience, and life turns out to be wonderful.
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Mistakes are the best way to learn. Don’t be afraid to make them. Try not to repeat the same ones too often.
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Rest is more important than you People work too hard, forget to rest, and then begin to hate their jobs. In fitness, you see it constantly: people training for a marathon getting burned out because they do not know how to let their straining muscles and joints recover.
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Few joys equal a good book, a good walk, a good hug, or a good friend. All are free.
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The destination is just a tiny slice of the journey. We are so worried about goals, about our future, that we miss all the great things along the way. If you’re fixated on the goal, on the end, you will not enjoy it when you get there. You’ll be worried about the next goal, the next destination.
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A good walk cures most problems. Want to lose weight and get fit? Walk. Want to enjoy life but spend less? Walk. Want to cure stress and clear your head? Walk. Want to meditate and live in the moment? Walk. Having trouble with a life or work problem? Walk, and your head gets clear.
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Let go of expectations. When you have expectations of something — a person, an experience, a vacation, a job, a book — you put it in a predetermined box that has little to do with reality. You set up an idealized version of the thing (or person) and then try to fit the reality into this ideal, and are often disappointed. Instead, try to experience reality as it is, appreciate it for what it is, and be happy that it is.
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Competition is very rarely as useful as cooperation. Our society is geared toward competition — rip each other’s throats out, survival of the fittest, yadda yadda. However, humans are meant to work together for the survival of the tribe, and cooperation pools our resources and allows everyone to contribute what they It requires a whole other set of people skills to work cooperatively, but it is well worth the effort.
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Gratitude is one of the best ways to find contentment. We are often discontent in our lives, desire more because we do not realize how much we have. Instead of focusing on what you do not have, be grateful for the amazing gifts you’ve been given: of loved ones and simple pleasures, of health and sight and the gift of music and books, nature and beauty and the ability to create, and everything in between. Be grateful every day.
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Get some perspective. Usually, when we are worried or upset, it is because we’ve lost perspective. In the larger picture, this one problem means almost nothing. This fight we are having with someone else — it is over something that matters naught. Let it go, and move on.
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All we are taught in schools and all we see in the media (news, films, books, magazines, the internet) has a worldview that we are meant to conform to. Figure out what that worldview is, and question it. Ask if there are alternatives, and investigate.
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Learn the art of empathy. Too often we judge people on too little information. We must try to understand what they do instead, put ourselves in their shoes, start with the assumption that what others do has a good reason if we understand what they are going through. Life becomes much better if you learn this art.
I’ve realized this year fear is a bitch! It will try to stop you. Doubts will try to stop you. You’ll shy away from doing great things, from going on new adventures, from creating something new and putting it out in the world, because of self-doubt and fear. It will happen in the recesses of your mind, where you do not even know it is happening. Become aware of these doubts and fears. Shine some light on them. Beat them with a thousand tiny cuts. Do it anyway, because they are wrong.
My greatest achievement of 2015 is finally understanding love. Love comes in many flavors. I love my children, completely and more than I can ever fully understand. I love them each in a different way and know that each is perfect in his or her way. I love MJ because we are two independent people wanting the best for each other. I also love him because my heart found peace with his.
I have a lot left to learn. If I’ve learned anything, it is that I know almost nothing and that I’m often wrong about what I think I know. Life has many lessons left to teach me, and I’m looking forward to them all.
2015 …. Thank you … I would not have missed this for the world!
This is my journey… this is my life!
Rob Cantrell
Rob Cantrell 