A List of Re-Emerging Life Lessons.

Before I get started, a water disguised as a cat.

I'm writing again from Iraq, which should be familiar by now. I'm quickly arriving at my first year of completion and look to do one more if all goes well. I've updated infrequently largely because blogging is a muscle that requires exercise just like any other, and the longer it remains dormant the less you want to salvage it. However, it's always been within my nature to pick up that once untenable thing and reanimate it, so here's the zombie corpse of my blog!

I've been musing on this list I'd like to create for close to a week now, so I'm going to push it out there for all to see. It may be common knowledge to some people, but like many lessons in life, they sink to the subconscious depths of our mind only to re-emerge at a later time with some importance tethered to them.

1) Be quick to forgive. Holding a grudge versus a person not only precludes you from that friendship, but you end up captivating yourself as a prisoner as well. It's usually better to get over your misgivings and truly forgive someone. Say it with me, "I forgive you."

2) Few, if any, truly covet your religious or political perspectives. Save it for your book.

3) An act of kindness, no matter how trivial, can completely brighten someone's day.

4) No one rests upon their death bed and regrets all the people they treated with kindness.

5) Music can make it all better.

6) A capable person makes their own luck. Positivity and hard work makes you capable.

7) The more I learn about running, the more I learn about myself, the more I learn about life.

8) Blaming others for your situation isn't going to get you anywhere.

9) Changing your thoughts changes your habits. Change your habits and you change yourself. You already are who you always wanted to be.

10) If something seems like a big deal now, consider its relevance in two weeks. If you can't see it persisting that long, then it probably isn't a big deal.

11) No, they're not talking about you.

12) You will continually surprise yourself by what you can adapt to and smile through.

13) There is zero risk and high reward in genuinely complimenting someone. Perfect business model.

14) No task is ever as daunting as our minds make it out to be. The more tasks you complete the more this becomes apparent.

15) If you're a leader, don't ever ask someone to do something you wouldn't do yourself.

16) Likewise, if you're a leader, establish yourself by working harder than everyone else and make no mention of it. Endorse a culture of positivity and trust the abilities of those who work under you. The rest tends to work itself out.

17) It never was about the status, power or possessions. It's about the people.

18) If you're angry at someone, give them a gift. Trust me.

19) This applies to life as much as it applies to running: you can always push yourself further than you think you can.

20) If you don't fully experience the pain of being alive, you'll never fully experience the pleasure of it either.

I hope everyone is well and finding purpose in whatever they do! Happy holidays.