I’m Sick of Doing It the Hard Way: Lessons to Remember for 2015

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! In honor of the upcoming new year, I wanted to share some lessons and advice that I learned during 2014. Some of these nuggets of wisdom I learned first-hand (a.k.a. “the hard way”), and some I learned from others. Enjoy!

1. Hornets won’t sting you if you show no fear and “look them in the eye.” I’m not sure how true this is or exactly how this works when they’re dive bombing you, but the Orkin man said this to my family, and he didn’t get stung despite destroying the hornets’ nest and not wearing protective gear. This man’s bravery knows no bounds, and he has my utmost respect.

2. If something makes you feel uncomfortable, it’s okay to say “no” to it, even if saying “no” may hurt someone’s feelings.

3. Always look for coupons online before you buy something, and don’t buy clothes that aren’t on sale. They’ll be on sale in a couple of months and you’ll be kicking yourself. Darn you, Macy’s!

4. If you want a graham cracker pie crust, make sure that your pie filling is thick and kind of like gel or goo. If your filling is really watery (like with egg custard), your graham cracker crust will simply float to the top of your pie. Although, I should say that this does make for a very cool “upside down” pie.

5. Ask yourself how much someone’s opinion is worth to you. If it’s not worth much or if it’s worth nothing, then don’t worry about what that person thinks of you.

6. Pick your battles. Not every debate must be engaged in and not every skirmish requires you to take up arms. When you do choose a battle, make sure that you have all of the tools that you need in your metaphorical arsenal and then go for the metaphorical jugular.

7. A bad end to a friendship and/or relationship does not necessarily negate all the good that happened during your time together.

8. When the gingerbread house instructions say to let the house sit overnight after you put it together and before you decorate it, it’s best to heed the instructions. Why, oh why didn’t I follow the instructions?  😦

9. No matter how old a woman gets, she still wants to feel beautiful and feel like a young girl every now and again. My lovely grandma taught me this. ❤ Likewise, no matter how old a man gets, he still wants to feel handsome and strong every now and again.

10. I think that when you go after a seemingly impossible goal or try to seize a great (but-the-odds-aren’t-in-your-favor) opportunity, you should have the mindset of Lloyd Christmas in the movie Dumb and Dumber. Do you hear that Jeremy Lin? It may be a one in a billion chance that I’ll ever meet you, but there’s still a chance!

11. If a motor stops working, try kicking it. I swear that that makes it work again about fifty percent of the time.

12. Sometimes happily ever after and fairy tale endings don’t happen. We should believe in them anyway.