40 Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years

It’s 5 am.  I’m drinking coffee and listening to heavy metal.

It’s my birthday.

And it’s got me to thinking….

If I make it another 40 years…..

Will I still be listening to metal?  Will I have to turn up my hearing aid to hear the guttural guitar riffs and the singer’s piercing screams?

I hope so.

But I don’t sit around and think too much about what I’m going to be doing at 80.  I’ve got today to live and that’s enough.

So I’ve been thinking about what I’ve learned in my short time here.

40 years on this spinning rock.

You’d think I’d know more by now.

But I’m a slow learner.

This list isn’t meant to be exhaustive.  And it’s not in any order of importance.  But here it is anyway.

40 Things I’ve Learned in 40 Years

1) The mind controls the arm.

2) The arm swings the axe.

3)  Evil exists.  Good exists.  We have choices to make.

4) Look for the best in people and you just might find it.

5) Sometimes the only thing a patient needs is for someone to listen to them.

6) All of life’s stories are either the journey of leaving home or the journey back.

7) Having a positive mental attitude is as powerful as magic.

8) God speaks in riddles.

9) If you notice yourself complaining: Stop. Reflect. Get perspective.

10) Forgiveness is not weakness.  Forgiveness is not forgetting or accepting.  Forgiveness is strength and rebirth.

11) Smiling makes people feel better.

12) Everyone is anxious, scared, and a little depressed.  At least some of the time.

13) The key is not letting those emotions run your life. If they run your life, they ruin your life.

14) A legacy of love is better than a bank full of cash.

15) You can get a lot accomplished with early mornings and hot coffee.

16) Goals are good, but a plan is better.

17) Take action.  Even if it’s small.  Just do something.  Anything.

18) Perspective is reality.

19) Fate leads us like a dog on a cart.

20) You can bend reality to your will but you can’t always bend reality to your will.

21) Punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure…. highly overrated.

22) Kids need a home.

23) When times are tough, you can be tougher.

24) Your scars tell the story….that you’re a survivor.

25) I’m from Mississippi, what’s your excuse?  (Don’t blame your problems on anyone else or anything else.  Just do something to make them better)

26) Coyote is always out there waiting.

27) You get out of Hell one step at a time.

28) Homeless heroin addicts need doctors too.

29)  Want a prosperous business?  Invest in people.

30) What we think of today as religion is mostly ritual.  Pure religion is universal.  And written on our souls.

31) Good friends make life better.

32) Nirvana’s Nevermind is the most influential album of all time.  (Don’t @ me br0).  Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Blood Sugar Sex Magik was a close second for me.

33) Be comfortable in your own skin.  God made you just the way you need to be.

34) People like to read lists.

35) Progress not perfection.

36) Things change and you can too.  You aren’t in a box.  You can grow.  You can change.  You can wake up tomorrow and be the person you want to be.  Kill the impostor, not yourself.

37) I won the lottery when I was born because I had 2 parents that loved me.  Not every kid has this.

38) My wife is the most genuinely good person I’ve ever known.  Even when she’s not perfect, she’s damn close.

39) The simple message I never want my kids to forget:  Be kind.  Be weird.  (And everything else will take care of itself)

40) You don’t have to change the world, to change the world.

….

There you have it.  My 40 for 40.

Hope you enjoyed it and be sure to leave a comment about any life lessons you’ve learned along the way.

p.s.

And of course the only thing I really know is that I don’t know anything.

p.p.s.

If you’re looking for a great birthday present for someone, grab a copy of my book and throw it in the garbage and then get your friend a real gift.  You can grab your copy here.