Tips for Life

I was showering at 12am today and the idea hit me to do a blog post entitled (see above).

I am really nowhere near the age of a wise man; a man whose knowledge and years of experience provides advice that is always applicable.

However, I'm going to attempt my TIPS FOR LIFE [so far]... and don't forget to leave feedback.

TIP #1: KNOW YOURSELF

How are you going to relate to others, appreciate others, love others, get to know others, form friendships with others if you don't know yourself? Knowing yourself isn't just about your address, date of birth and next of kin (I've filled out a lot of forms lol)... It's about knowing your limits, your beliefs... your identity. Nobody is going to know everything about themself at any age, because no matter how old you are and how many things you have done there is something in the world that you haven't experienced yet and you are unsure of your reaction to such stimuli; But you must know your limits, know how far you will push yourself and your level of comfort, how far you will bend the curve of belief and how much you will break and bend your own personal rules. You must be able to know how far you can take certain things, and when to stop when you feel like you are not being true to yourself.

TIP #2: APPRECIATE FAMILY

I know ... "she's the most annoying mother in the world", "they don't understand me", "my father is a dead-beat I hate him", "the age gap is too wide, they don't understand me"... Yes, we've said a few of these things at some point in time, haven't we? Maybe even worse things. Family can be a PAIN in so many ways but guess what ? ... in the end they are still family. They won't just go away like a cold sore no matter how much you want to erase them from your life; as long as they are alive they will be a part of your life. Perhaps your father did terrible things to you, perhaps your mother didn't understand, perhaps your aunts and uncles don't support you and defend you as they should... All this has made you the person you are today. Nobody is perfect and believe it or not God knows why He made each of our situations different.  So, keep up with those fake smiles and the small talk, dial those numbers and make that call no matter how it hurts, add them to skype and after 5 minutes pretend you have something else to do... however you choose they are your family and you should communicate (at some level) with them.

TIP #3: EMBRACE THE NEW

It's difficult for us to let go of old habits, to try something new. To try something and you have not yet calculated the risk level, something that is new to you, something that may not be in your life's plan... But sometimes we need to come out of our comfort zone, we need to escape what we're used to and try something new. Now now you literal minds, I am not talking about drugs and clandestine things like that I am talking about travelling to another parish, another country, trying new cuisine, having a different flavour of ice cream. I am talking about things that broaden your spectrum mentally. You may not see how trying a new flavour of ice cream can open your mind to a world of things; well I am a prime example. I knew cookies n' creme and pistachio and that's all I would get when we went to the ice cream parlour. But I decided to try different flavours and realized I actually really enjoy the pineapple. Now, I want to try all the flavours they offer at Devon House. This in turn has made me appreciate trying new things even more, and has given me a more positive outlook on differences in cultures. Also, keep in mind that at some point whatever you now consider a habit was something new to you.

TIP #4:  NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Don't ascribe your own opinion of people before you have gotten to know them. The person you scorned in high school may just end up being your best friend in college.

By extension then:  not all men are dogs and not all women are gold diggers.

TIP #5:  DO UNTO OTHERS AS YOU WOULD HAVE THEM DO UNTO YOU

Don't treat people like crap; treat them how you would like to be treated. So continue to laugh at that person, karma is coming to bite you in the ass. But seriously (-_-) treat people well and you will gain their respect and so much more can happen just because of how you treated someone.

TIP #6: KNOW WHEN TO QUIT

Nothing lasts forever, know when to walk away from certain situations. Also, make sure you know your drinking limits nobody likes a vomiting drunk, or someone who's drunk at every party... Don't sell yourself cheap (advice from a Math teacher in high school to a student who was coming on to him; and no the student was not me, but yes I almost died laughing)... Respect yourself and always walk away the bigger person.

This leads me into....

TIP #7: DON'T BURN YOUR BRIDGES

You may be upset about the situation, you may just want to "cuss dem out" and get it over with... But you never know what the future holds. Jamaica is too small, rather the world is too small : it is highly unlikely that you won't meet up on the person again. Times are too hard right now for you to be wasting opportunities because of a moment of anger. I am not saying that you should allow yourself to be disrespected, humiliated, and taken for granted...All I am saying is when you decide to depart don't leave with any 'bad blood' between you and the parties involved: politely state the reason for your departure and walk away. I am not just talking about relationships, this can really be applied to quite a few situations in life.

TIP #8: DON'T ENVY OTHERS  {red yeye}

You don't know their situation, you don't know how they acquired their positions so you should be thankful for what you have (which you know you've acquired legally...i hope) and refrain from envying persons who have more than you.

TIP #9: KNOW YOUR FRIENDS

The term friend is one that denotes reciprocity. If WE are friends, then WE both have acknowledged that WE are each other's friend; and WE should then act like WE are friends. There is no friend rule book (there probably is a book, so many books out there today) but we know from our conscience, beliefs and morals when we are truly being a friend. The older you get the less frequently you use that word. Don't be afraid to let go of some friendships that just hold you back. Some friendships have an expiry date, just let them fade away and work on the ones you still have. Don't share every detail about your life with all your "friends", because there is always the possibility that when things go sour that same "friend" will gossip about you.

TIP #10: DON'T GOSSIP

What good ever came from gossiping? It can only hurt people and create hypocrites... Try your very best not to do it or to cut down, it really isn't a good thing.

Thanks for reading