So, since the new year is still fresh in our minds, I wanted to write another post about it, but this time rather than reviewing what happened in the world/community, or what my goals are for the next year, I wanted to share what I’ve learnt. My friend Sandy made a similar post, and that got me thinking, achieving what you set out for is always a great feeling, but learning something unexpected is the bigger accomplishment, at least in my eyes. So, here is what i’ve learnt (trust me it’s a real word) in the past year.

1. Life is simpler than it seems.: This was probably the hardest thing for me to learn, there were a lot of conversations/arguments I had in the past, and they all revolved around the shades of gray, rather than things being black or white. I’ve realized now, that things aren’t that complex after all. Just like matter, life can be broken down into smaller parts, and once you do that you can handle your bigger problems very easily. Of course, this is harder to remember when life gets you down, but when it does, tell yourself: “It is the way it is, it cannot be otherwise”, then figure out how to move forward from there. We often spend more time than is necessary trying to figure out how we got where we did, rather than just acknowledging our position, and remembering what our goal was, then working towards it. Eye of the Tiger :).
2. “ I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.” Benjamin Franklin said that, and I found out about it recently, I also agree with it 100%. At the risk of making this blog political, I think the answer to the problems that plague the world lie somewhere in the middle of the Republicans and the Democrats sound bites, unfortunately there are a lot of people with a vested interest in the status quo, I also believe these people are ignorant of history, ignorant of the human spirit, and very bad vision. I wish someone finds a cure for these people.
3. “ I would rather try to persuade a man to go along, because once I have persuaded him he will stick. If I scare him, he will stay just as long as he is scared, and then he is gone.” - Dwight D. Eisenhower. This is something we all must understand, we will all be in a position of authority one day, yelling, kicking and screaming may give us what we want now, but it won’t always work. I had a very enlightening experience last year, which made me think of this quote, and it brought to light the true meaning of the words, I was subjected to do something out of fear, and I got out the second I wasn’t afraid anymore, this resulted in substantial financial loss to the party that did the coercion.
4. “ Don’t Use Credit Cards “, this is by far the simplest, yet hardest habit to wean yourself from. I’ve been listening to Dave Ramsey almost daily now though, and I’ve drunk the Kool Aid, not having any debt is an exciting prospect, I can’t wait to get there.

Things I’ve started learning about? I plan to work on self control, and charity. I’m also going to try fasting, for the physical health, and possible spiritual benefits. I’ll let you know how things went in 2009.