Things I've learned: Not within the past year. I think that's too cliché but let's move forward, shall we?
1. No matter what you do, the only thing that matters is why you do it.
If I do something for any reason other than giving glory to God, then I am doing something terribly wrong and I need to reevaluate what I'm doing. (1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 3:17)
2. You can't please everyone.
This is a hard one for me. I want to please everyone. But I cannot do that. And I shouldn't do that. I need to focus on a life pleasing to God. (Colossians 3:23)
3. Know which battles to fight and which ones to stay out of.
Not everything is your business. And your presence in an argument can and will make things worse.
4. Think often. But don't over think.
It's healthy to think. It keeps your mind moving and exercising. But over thinking has probably created many problems in my life. I've missed many opportunities because I was over thinking situations. I've created situations that ended up badly because I was over thinking. Over thinking is like dwelling. Dwelling isn't such a good thing when it's over something of this world. Let the word of the Lord dwell in you and dwell in the house of the Lord. (Colossians 3:16 ; Psalm 27:4)
5. Listen.
Just listen. Sometimes there isn't an answer and sometimes there are no words worth saying. And there's probably no simpler thing you can do for someone than just listening to them.
6. Running relieves almost every piece of stress that has been stored in my body throughout the day.
I absolutely hate running but for some reason sometimes it is the only thing that makes my day better. Yet, I'll still refuse to go running even when I know that it will make me feel better.
7. God is greater than my biggest strength.
Well, this is a big one. It doesn't matter how big my biggest strength is. I could be able to move Mount Everest with my pinky, run a mile in under 2 minutes, swim under water for days or fly with the birds in the sky and God will still be greater. This may seem simple the way I put it, but it's much harder to remember when you are in your daily routine.
God is greater. And I find comfort in that. (1 Corinthians 1:25)
8. You're not randomly placed where you are right now.
There is a reason why you're where you're at. First of all, it's your story. It's not going to be the same as anyone else. If you think you're suffering right now and there's no reason for it, think again. You're suffering for a reason. One day you may be able to use your suffering to help someone else. You may be feeling like you're stuck in a rut and you're not moving forward. There's a reason for that too. You never really know why you're going through things until you've actually been through them. You appreciate the situation more after you've been through it. I've never really figured out why. (Jeremiah 29:11)
9. Nothing in this world is perfect.
This is probably self explanatory but I think the key word here is "nothing". Sometimes I have this thought that there are some exceptions to this. For example, I act like some things are perfect without even realizing it. I may act like a situation is perfect or even another person is perfect but in reality, nothing is perfect. It's just a distorted thought that I'm not aware of. Jesus Christ is perfect. God's love is perfect. Nothing in this world can be perfect. (Hebrews 7:19)
10. Complaints can overtake your life very quickly.
It's like a sea of quicksand. You get one little part of you caught in the sand and you start sinking quickly. Complaints are also contagious. If everyone around you is constantly complaining, you're prone to start complaining yourself. I constantly have to check my attitude and often have to remind myself to be thankful and quit complaining about little things. (Philippians 2:14)
