You all are probably aware of my list of life lessons. What you might not know is that each of these lessons comes from a different experience. Here’s a few from the list, with a blurb about where it came from:
Marc’s Life Lessons:
1. There’s always an excuse NOT to do something.
– From all parts of my life where I would have something I should be doing, but was procrastinating by working on something else. This lesson is to remind me to just get working on one objective and to not make excuses why I can’t do it.
2. Live life for yourself.
– Dunno where specifically I picked this up. This lesson is to remind me that I don’t have to please my parents or friends in my personal endeavors. The only person I’m responsible for is myself.
3. Don’t think; just do.
– In high school, I was known for my incredible dumb luck. I was good at guessing games and had a knack for finding small items lost in large places. Later on, as I started self-analyzing, I realized my most successful situations are the ones where I stop thinking about the action required and just let my body work itself.
4. Never underestimate the power of a vacation (even if it only lasts one minute).
– From the movie “Collateral”. Jamie Foxx’s character has a picture of a tropical island in his cab. He tells a fare that he takes a vacation several times a day be imagining himself on that island. My tropical island is a house built on stilts that stands over a bayou. The path to this house snakes its way through a deciduous forest. The sounds of a cicada chorus mixes with frog and bird songs. My favorite is to stand on the deck off the rear of the house and watch the fish jump at water striding bugs and to listen to the water flow slowly between the plants and over the rocks.
5. You can do ANYTHING… you just need to START doing SOMETHING.
– This lesson deals with a different kind of procrastination. Sometimes, instead of performing a task, I get so bogged down with trying to plan the details that I am unable to start the project. I’ve found that pushing the details aside and just trying to make something work can be the best step. Once I’ve started a project, the inertia carries me to completion.
6. The more you do, the more you can do (and vice versa).
– I’m reminded of this anytime I see overweight people driving those little carts at WalMart. Its a vicious cycle. The less walking we do, the less walking we are able to do. The same is true in the other direction. If I were to go out running every day, I would be able to run a little further each week.