Be Child-like, not Childish
99 ways to live life like it's the last day of school.
Hmmmm.
I find children to be... well, children. They do things that us as adults simply wouldn’t. But dig this...That’s both a good and bad thing. To be honest, they could learn a lot from us. But, as I’m sure you know, we could learn a lot from them. How’s that? It’s because children are both child-ish AND child-like.
The Good Book puts it simply:
“Be like the children. Not childish, but child-like.”
I’m gonna try to break it down even further. Here are a few things I’ve picked up, from children, adults, and everyone in between, that I think could make our lives easier.
Forgive but don’t forget.
Play that one old ass, favorite ass, same ass, album over and over again without shame… but start it from Track 1 each time.
Expect the best from people off top, but when they show you who they are believe ‘em.
Don’t check the weather ahead of time. Just be sure to check it everyday.
Don’t be afraid to change your mind when new information is presented.
Be kind, not weak.
“The greatest display of power is restraint.”
When it aligns with your standards, ego is courage. When it aligns with someone else’s standards, ego is noise.
Run towards what you want faster than you run away from what you don’t want.
Hate to lose more than you want to win.
When someone says something mean about you, before reacting ask yourself "is it true?"
Listen to understand, not simply to respond.
Self-love doesn’t require the hate of someone or something else.
The simplest way to be interesting is to be interested.
Anything worth having ain’t easy. But don’t make something simple into something hard.
Give compliments without expecting to receive them.
The phrase “you wanna have your cake and eat it too” is backward for what it actually means. IMO, it should say, “you wanna eat your cake, and still have some left” (which is impossible, and the actual point).
Curiosity killed the cat. But cats have 9 lives. Wandering > wondering.
"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning. Nothing worse can happen to you that day. And if it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first.”
Every so often, ask “how’s a good boy?” and not only “who’s a good boy?”.
Don’t be afraid to look stupid for people you love in front of people you like.
Compare and despair. Nobody has it better than you.
Honesty sometimes is selfish. The truth shall, and will, set you free. But that freedom shouldn’t have to always involve other people. Time and place.
Take your Ls with grace. It makes the Ws that much sweeter.
Life isn’t fair. But it IS balanced. Ball don’t lie.
All money ain’t good money.
Strive to be both thoughtful AND considerate. It’s not as easy as it sounds, as they are not the same. If you can’t be both, be really good at one.
When it comes to your words/actions... impact > intent.
Love is a verb first, a noun second, and it’s always what you make it.
You’re never as good or bad as “they” say you are. Nor as up or down as you think.
People don’t deserve to be defined by their best/worst moments.
Sunlight and water can change everything.
Ideas are made better by subtraction, not addition. The simpler it is, the longer it lasts, and less likely someone can make it better. (Ex: Lemonade, albums, the wheel, etc.)
Big words show knowledge. Long sentences show education. Short sentences show wisdom. Silence shows understanding.
Peace is a one way street. One of the few battles we fight early, often, and alone.
Say “thank you” in your prayers as much as you say “please”. This IS a two way street.
If you trip and fall in the living room, don’t bring the blinds down with you.
“The days are long, but the years are quick.”
Love should start in the gut, then move to the heart, then settle in the brain. Most times we find a way to do it in the opposite order.
A rebel without a cause is just a person shedding the skin they’re in for new skin. Let them.
Happiness is fleeting because it involves other peple. Contentment can lead you to settle. Fulfillment is paramount, and is the work you and God do together.
Keep at least one hat for years, no matter how it wears and tears. It forms to your head over time, gives others something to know you by, and most importantly, helps you exercise responsibility with low stakes.
All things work for the good of those that act like they got some sense (And love the Lord too, of course).
Don’t let anyone make you feel bad about putting hot sauce on your food before tasting it. Nothing tastes like hot sauce besides hot sauce. If they’re offended, that’s on them. However, don’t ever put salt and pepper on your food before trying it first.
Don’t take a bullet for anyone that’s not your child. Let them take their own bullet, but be the first to nurse their wound.
Don’t be neutral. Pick a side. Even when you respect both views. Have an opinion.
Don’t steal at the self check-out. God gon’ get that money back somehow, you just watch.
“Bills before thrills.”
When people tell you money can’t buy happiness, believe them… but don’t let it stop you from learning that lesson yourself.
“You’re only as old as your ability to process new information.”
Self-awareness looks different on different people in your life.
Regional slang is intelligence and connectivity, not ignorance.
A penny saved is a penny not spent. That’s it.
If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. But don’t block your blessing. You deserve.
If you weren’t going to skate backwards at the rink or come close to falling, you could’ve stayed home.
Fortune favors the bold, but patience is a virtue.
“Drink more water; or you might die.”
Don’t put cream on every scar. When it’s all said and done, you wanna show God you tried with the body you got.
People with the ugliest feet usually can dance really well.
Get really good at making one singular entree. Better than everyone you know. Everyone should have a thing.
When you give your money to homeless people, or the church, or a non profit, your job is done at that very moment. Everything after that is between them and God.
Sometimes the old shit work better than the new shit. Innovation isn’t always progress.
Say “I love you” as much as possible. But only to people you love.
Don’t worry too much about what people think of you. It’s not like you can read minds anyway. Self-inflicted anxiety is real AF.
Walk slow. Run fast.
Pieces > Outfits.
Do the impossible, then do it twice. The first is for them, the second’s for you.
Sing in the shower, or wherever, fuck it.
“Lack of planning on your part doesn’t constitute an emergency on someone else’s.”
“Listening” and “hearing” are two different things.
“Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can't practice any other virtue consistently.”
Cash is (still) king.
The only reason Sunday morning is after Saturday night is to teach us how to enjoy both. Not to have to pick one.
If you see your friend in a fight with a bear, put the honey down, and help your friend. Fuck what they talking about. Bears are dangerous.
Jealousy is natural. Envy is deadly.
Proximity is the biggest dictator of friendship.
“A chair is still a chair, even when there's no one sittin' there.”
Be yourself. No one does it quite like you.
Love the hair that comes out of your head. What the hell else can you do?
Turn the fan up one more level before you go to sleep, make your comforter earn its keep.
If you’re gonna be loud, don’t be wrong. If you’re gonna be right, don’t be quiet.
Everything ain’t meant for everybody.
The 3rd quarter is where games are won. The other 3 are where they’re lost.
Every so often, cold pizza is the best breakfast, and a stack of pancakes is the best dinner.
“One day coffee, one day tea. Today it’s you, tomorrow it’s me.”
In Blackjack, it doesn’t matter if you hit or don’t hit 15s or 16s, just stick with it.
Think about your funeral. What’s the one word you’d want to be used most to describe you and the way you lived your life? Think about that word early and often each day.
The world might not be shit, but the people in it can and should be the shit.
“If everyone’s crazy, you’re the one that’s insane.”
Count it all as joy.
Intuition is when discernment meets patience.
It’s good to have a good job. But don’t let them people at work stress you out.
You can’t truly hate someone you don’t love.
Being a good person isn’t always enough.
Aim to love unconditionally. What the hell is anything else even?
Your emotions are not your personality. They’re your personality's reaction to situations.
“Undertake something difficult. It will serve you well.”
If it happens once, it could be a fluke. But if it happens twice, it’s bound to happen a third time.
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For Lack of a Wetter Bird, be child-like, not childish.