Life lessons

[Unit of Energy]

I've learned that I need to not stress about my various friendships, they will be just fine-better even- if I stop worrying about what my friends think of me and just be there for them and trust them to be there for me.

[Katya]

I think I'm 9 years younger than you. The 100 Hour Board: staffed by 19-year-old twerps since c. 2003.

There's a reason for this, but if you get me started, it will be quite the diatribe.

19-year-olds think they know everything?

[Zedability]

I think I'm 9 years younger than you. The 100 Hour Board: staffed by 19-year-old twerps since c. 2003.

There's a reason for this, but if you get me started, it will be quite the diatribe.

19-year-olds think they know everything?

Seriously, I feel so ridiculous giving advice sometimes, I'm sitting there writing it thinking, "Yeah...I'm 18, take that for what it's worth."

[Portia]

I think I'm 9 years younger than you. The 100 Hour Board: staffed by 19-year-old twerps since c. 2003. ;)

There's a reason for this, but if you get me started, it will be quite the diatribe.

19-year-olds think they know everything? ;)

I certainly did! And don't sweat it, Zed, only the young have the energy to devote 20+ hours to the board weekly, in my opinion. ;)

[Craig Jessop]

Life lesson: don't run on wet pool decks.

[bobtheenchantedone]

My current business life lesson is "what got you here won't get you there."

[Katya]

Before you try to shut down a behavior you don't like, spend some time trying to understand why that behavior is occurring in the first place.

(This is a huge mantra for me with respect to linguistics, because it's at the heart of descriptivism, but I think it applies much more broadly, as well.)

[yayfulness]

Life is better on nine and a half hours of sleep.

[Zedability]

Don't procrastinate and take 3 tests you didn't study for back-to-back, or you will get an A- on the physics multiple choice and be sad.

[Giovanni Schwartz]

#nerdcred

[TheAnswerIs42]

Before you try to shut down a behavior you don't like, spend some time trying to understand why that behavior is occurring in the first place.

Like.
I have this thought a lot with my kids, because the thing they are complaining about at the moment might not be the reason they are complaining in general.

[krebscout]

Don't commodify your friends. People are complex.

I started to type out the story behind this, but I think it can be summarized better just by saying: My friend is more than a rockstar, and I am more than a Mormon.

[TheBlackSheep]

Sometimes (often? always?) you are going to be grateful you didn't get what you asked for. Cliche, but there you go.

One example of this recently is how at work I was super bummed to be getting the four youngest toddlers while by coworker was inheriting the five older ones, all of whom I knew (and liked) better than my younger four. One of my younger four screamed for her first two weeks and was still screaming a couple of hours a day. After one week, it's clear that I'd rather be where I am. And the screamer and I are best friends.

[Emiliana]

For example, Emiliana's recent life lesson is, "Haters gonna hate."

So interestingly, last night I ran into the girl I originally wrote this about. And we actually had a good conversation about crocheting. She'll never be my favorite person to be around (nor I hers, I suspect), but apparently we're going to be able to be in social settings together without extraordinary awkwardness or open ill-will. This makes me happy, cause she's good friends with someone I'm becoming increasingly good friends with.

[yayfulness]

Don't expect life to be easy or free of trials. The purpose of life is to be a challenge. Trials are a sign that I'm doing well.

[Emiliana]

I'm learning that I need to develop a thicker skin.

[Dragon Lady]

I'm learning that, by nature, I'm really quite lazy. And that life and my moods are very much increased in quality when I can overcome that.

Also, what Katya said. In my kids, in myself. When I can figure out the deeper problem, it's a lot easier to fix.

[yayfulness]

I made the conscious decision a couple days ago to give up my goals in several aspects of my life and quit caring about them. Since then, I've consistently felt better than I've felt in a very long time. And, surprisingly enough, I feel like I'll be more capable of progressing towards those goals now that I'm not worried about success or failure.

[Whistler]

that's very taoist of you... "he who grasps loses"

[yayfulness]

I feel like a lot of it can be summed up by this.