Okay, I asked you to help me with a top 10 list and you gave me far more than 10. So these are the nuggets of knowledge you shared, EXACTLY in the format I delivered yesterday. Thanks, and enjoy!!
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To help prepare you for this journey, I hope to share a few things this afternoon to help. When I began working on this I quickly realized this is an important task, a mammoth task. So I did something you will learn as life goes on . . . I turned to my friends on Facebook, Twitter, and my blog.
The things I will share with you today come from Florence . . . Greenville, SC . . . Memphis, TN . . . Tampa, FL . . . Belo Horizonte, Brazil . . . And many other places. These are thoughts of some of my peers around the world and what they wish they knew when they sat where you are today. Listen to them and enjoy!!
CHRIS wrote:
I wish I knew that the world did not revolve around me.
I wish I knew that 25 years later I’d be as fat as the fat kids I made fun of in high school.
SCOTT shared something he heard and was not sure of the source:
“People know you for what you’ve done, not for what you plan to do.”
MERRITT, a WF grad from years ago, wrote:
I wish that I knew how fast time would pass….I think that I would have savored every moment a little more. It’s hard to believe that in 15 years, I’ve graduated from college and graduate school, found a job that I love, married my soulmate, and had a child! Life goes so fast, enjoy every second! Life’s too short to argue with your parents or friends, life’s too short to be envious or jealous, life’s too short to be unhappy about inconsequential things.
MARY wrote: Life’s full of disappointments—you better get use to them ’cause life’s not all about you! You can do everything right & still get the shaft.
ELAINE wrote: I wish I had known then that gravity was going to turn against me. Also, pictures follow you around for a LONG, LONG time (see Facebook if you don’t believe me). I wish I would have been more comfortable just being myself instead of always trying to make everyone else happy.
DONNA wrote: The future that you thought you were in control of is nonexistent. God has already decided that and if we don’t give Him that control there will be a lot of hard times ahead. I have learned that no matter what the day brings, that when I go to bed that night, I am content with where I have been and I am happy with where I am going. AND, our parents really were a lot smarter than we thought they were. You will find that out when your kids are 18 and about to go out into the world.
CATHY wrote When I walked across that stage, I wish I’d known how many other jobs were out there and how big the world is. My husband and I both wish we would have had more initiative or knowledge to explore other opportunities for our future. EXPLORE ALL of the possibilities for your lives. Don’t think too small- Think big. I now know that I didn’t think I was capable of doing anything greater, so I didn’t apply myself. After all, I’m just a country girl who grew up in a little place called Effingham… what could I ever be?
ANDI wrote “One of the important things that I tell my sons (one in college, one just graduated college) is that they need to stay connected to their friends. You be the one to call – don’t sit around and say “I haven’t heard from so and so in a long time. I can check them off my friend list. Life is a two- way street. To keep friends, you must be a friend – and that means communication!
FLOSSIP shared: I wish I had known that I put too much importance on trivial matters. That who was wearing what and majoring in what and joining what sorority were just white noise in the soundtrack of life. That making true friends, picking a major that satisfied my heart as well as propelling towards a career, studying, and remembering to come home to hang out with my parents were the important things. I also wish I had known that credit cards were evil.
CHRIS wrote I wish I had listened to Mr. T and stayed in school for a little more college…being a doctor or lawyer is a tad more lucrative than being a musician!
ANITA said Money was scarce for future education. I’ve always been drawn to children and youth and was encouraged to get an education degree. I knew I could manage tuition at business school so I chose the “safe” route. I should have followed my heart, but have always been grateful that God has provided a way for me to channel that love.
MICHAEL wishes he’d known then that yellow socks were not cool.
BETTY said “I wish I’d known then that love changes, it does not stay the same no matter how much we want it to. As people grow and experience life, their responses change, their insights change, their feelings change…their love changes. It may grow deeper, stronger, richer, it may diminish and fade, but inevitably, it changes. That is a good thing.”
KRISTY said I wish I had known is that the world is much bigger and varied than I ever could have imagined, yet each person can make a worldwide impact by seeing needs and seeking to meet them. And credit card debt is like digging your own grave. And I was going to say something funny, but I couldn’t think of anything. I wish I could. I’m just not funny. So maybe my last one would be “don’t be afraid to own up to your weaknesses.”
ANDREW wrote “I wish I knew just how much fun I had in high school and how much fun I was going to have in college. I was wanting the time to rush by so quickly so I could move on, and sadly, it did. Life is wonderful now too, but I do often look back and wish that I had taken more time to realize how blessed I really was. So basically, my point is to not try to rush life on.
JESSICA said “I wish I would have know how much I would miss my parents and family when I went away to school. I would not have taken them for granted all those years that I thought I was TOO cool to hang out with them in high school.”
TOM said Work is more than a 4 letter word. And, sleep late and you’ve missed the best part of the day.
PAM’s suggestion: You’ve got a lot of friends out there you haven’t met yet.
BRYAN wrote “You will never understand why something happened to you until you help someone understand why its happening to them.”
OMEREA said “I wish I had known the fine line between “He who hesitates loses” and “Wait and it will come to you”.
RICHARD wrote “I wish I knew I was supposed to wear clothes under the cap and gown when I walked!!!”
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What did DAVID share?? Maybe I will blog about that later this week!!
One Pastor's Perspective 