{"id":203,"date":"2013-07-02T01:10:42","date_gmt":"2013-07-02T01:10:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/everydayinspiration\/?p=203"},"modified":"2013-07-02T01:10:42","modified_gmt":"2013-07-02T01:10:42","slug":"the-most-amazing-life-lessons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/everydayinspiration\/2013\/07\/the-most-amazing-life-lessons.html","title":{"rendered":"The Most Amazing Life Lessons"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cLife is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I turn 51 years old on Friday, July 5.<\/p>\n

A few weeks ago, my older daughter, Caitlin, checked the baseball schedule and noticed the Kansas City Royals have a home game against the Oakland Athletics.<\/p>\n

Knowing how much I love baseball, she has arranged my birthday party to be a tailgate before the game. After enjoying brats and beer along with chips, baked beans, watermelon and brownies, we\u2019ll root for our hometown team and then stay for the Friday night fireworks show.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t think of a better way to spend my birthday \u2013 family, a couple of cold beers and maybe a Royals win! <\/p>\n

With 50 birthdays behind me, the lesson of enjoying the present moment is one of the most amazing life lessons I\u2019ve learned. Age certainly gives me the capacity to experience these lessons with a keener appreciation and the awareness to hold them a little closer to my heart. <\/p>\n

So, along with the bratwurst, balls & strikes and fireworks, the following life lessons are the ones I will root for the loudest on Friday night and on each night for the rest of life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Live right now<\/strong>
\nYou can\u2019t change the past or control the future, but you can give your mind, heart and soul to what is happening right now.<\/p>\n

Consider your commitments seriously<\/strong>
\nBefore committing, be convinced; be absolutely sure it\u2019s what you want to do.<\/p>\n

Trust recovers slowly<\/strong>
\nWhen temptation wins over common sense, trust will return, but cautiously. Be patient. Wait for it. And when trust recovers, put it in a safe place and away from what you know will challenge it again.<\/p>\n

Ask to be carried<\/strong>
\nWhen you feel weary, allow yourself to fall into the arms of someone stronger and asked to be carried. Your burdens don\u2019t feel heavy to others when their love is used to lift you up.<\/p>\n

You see what your create<\/strong>
\nIn misery you see the enemy; in grace you see the possibility.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to run 100 miles an hour<\/strong>
\nBe Still. Listen. Allow the light to find you. Rushing at 100 miles an hour looking for peace will cause you to miss the fact it\u2019s standing in front of you.<\/p>\n

Faith never lets go<\/strong>
\nThe next time you fell like giving up, extend your hand; the first thing you grab will be your faith. Hold on to it and know it will always hold on to you.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about where you\u2019ve been; it\u2019s about where you will be taken<\/strong>
\nYour past doesn\u2019t define who you can be in this moment. Use the present, this very second, to decide who you want to be and then start heading in that direction.<\/p>\n

You are worthy to have what you want<\/strong>
\nPeace, love and happiness aren\u2019t for everybody but you. You are worthy to have to your heart\u2019s desire, too \u2013 all you have to do is ask.<\/p>\n

There is love or fear<\/strong>
\nYou have a choice: Live in love or live in fear. There is no in-between.<\/p>\n

About Alex Blackwell<\/a><\/h5>\n

Alex Blackwell is a father, husband and writer. He writes about inspiring things at The BridgeMaker<\/a>.
\nWeb<\/a> | Simple Paths<\/a> | How to Love Consciously<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cLife is a succession of lessons which must be lived to be understood.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson I turn 51 years old on Friday, July 5. A few weeks ago, my older daughter, Caitlin, checked the baseball schedule and noticed the Kansas City Royals have a home game against the Oakland Athletics. 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