I guess I am probably at least to the half way point of my life or at least very close. Some people call this half time, which means I could possible have a third and fourth quarter left. Some see our lives broken down by the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall And Winter. If that’s the case then, I am probably coming out of my Summer and into my Fall. The one thing that seems to be becoming more and more real to me is the learning of lessons and the importance of learning the lessons. When I was younger, the older folks tried to tell me, and while we may listen, most of us have to learn for ourselves and we tend to insist on doing it the hard way.

Through the living of life and in the experience of hard fought battles which culminate in exciting and great victories or bitter and depressing defeat, we are shaped into who we are ultimately become. It is during this times that lessons are learned if we are wise enough to pay attention and learn them, so that one day in the Fourth Quarter Winter of our life, we can share them with the young bright eyes that are thinking to themselves: “I’ll show you!”

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” -Proverbs 24:16

The greatest lesson I have learned is that I am still learning and so below I will share a few of the lessons I have learned and that I am learning along the way as I journey through this life.

1. You Are Responsible For You! We like to think we can change things and change people, but the only thing you really have the power to change is yourself and if you are honest with yourself, then there is plenty that needs changing, so open you lift, mind and heart to the supernatural and allow yourself to grow beyond yourself. It really is a never ending amazing journey.

2. Time Is A Precious Gift! When we are young, we think we have all the time in the world. It seems like it takes forever for Christmas to get here, but as you get older is seems that Christmas comes sooner and sooner each year. Don’t waste time, make your time count. It is a gift that we each have a limited amount of and once it is gone, it cannot be replaced.

3. Failure Is Not Final! We are raised to believe that failure is a bad thing and we are embarrassed whenever we fail, but most of the great things that we know, the things that have changed our lives, would have never became reality, if someone had not been willing to fail again and again. Take your chance and give it you best shot. Failure is simply learning another way that won’t work, which gets you one step closer to the way that will work.

4. Don’t Miss The Now! Now is what you’ve got. Yesterday is over, so learn from it and move on. Tomorrow is not promised, so don’t waste your time worrying about it. Today, right now, this moment is what you’ve got, so make sure that you make it count by getting the very most out of it.

5. There Is No Such Thing As One Size Fits All! What works for someone else, may work for you and it may not work for you. The reality is: Whatever advice, direction or instruction you’re given, you have to figure out how it works with you, because you are unique and special. This is why it is so important to get to know yourself, who you are , what you believe and why it matters to you.

6. Instinct Is A Gift, Don’t Ignore It! Some people call it a gut feeling, some call it intuition, some call it a sixth sense. Whatever you call it, you can’t afford to ignore it. Live you life long enough and you will discover that your instincts are better than you’ve been led to believe. You are continually taking in information, without even realizing it and just when you need the guidance, you gut steps up to try to help you make the right decision.

7. Gratitude Is Best Expressed Through Appreciation! God has blessed you with so much, but if you don’t appreciate it, then you could very easily wake up one day to find it all gone. Relationships are a very special gift and should never be taken for granted. All people have something to add to your life, if you are willing to take the time to discover the treasure. Show your gratitude through your attitude of appreciation.

Like I said: In no way am I an authority and I have not fully learned all these lessons, but I am learning them. This of course is not all the lessons, just some from the top of the list that I have been learning and that has impacted my life, living, blessing, success and victory. I encourage you to think about the lessons you are learning and share every chance you get, because it not only makes your life better, it allows your better life to make the lives of others better too…