End of 2012

Goodbye 2012. Hello 2013. To commemorate a new year, here are 20 things I learned in 2012...

1. You are entitled to nothing.

2. Absolutely nothing is more important than your family and life-long friends.

3. Life is too short to share it with people that make you unhappy, cause you pain or otherwise have a negative effect on your life.

4. Life can unexpectedly take someone away from you. You should tell people how important they are to you and how much you love them while you still have a chance. Don't wait for the eulogy.

5. You can’t hide a bad mood from people who know you well, but you can always be polite.

6. Every problem you have is your responsibility, regardless of who caused it.

7. Words are immensely powerful. One cruel remark can wound someone for life.

8. It's difficult to dislike someone who makes you laugh.

9. Quality is far more important than quantity.

10. Everyone likes somebody who gets to the point quickly.

11. Every passing face on the street represents a story every bit as compelling and complicated as yours.

12. Those who complain the most accomplish the least.

13. Putting something off only increases your anxiety.

14. It is a hundred times more difficult to burn calories than to refrain from consuming them in the first place.

15. If you’re talking to someone you don’t know well, you may be talking to someone who knows way more about whatever you’re talking about than you do.

16. Anger reveals weakness of character; violence even more so.

17. Wishing things were different is an effective way to torture yourself.

18. You can learn a lot from people if you just listen.

19. There is some correlation between people who think they "know-it-all" and being an unpleasant jerk.

20. The saying "it's not what you know, it's who you know" has some truth to it, but it diminishes the importance of knowledge. It's more accurate to say "who you know" dramatically increases your probability to showcase and use "what you know."

And that's all folks! Please have fun tonight, but stay safe! Don't drink and drive and be aware that other will be drinking and driving. Oh, and happy New Year!

What I learned in 2012

You need to be familiar with your inner nature to move forward in life. You have to know about your abilities and defects, what’s right for you and what isn’t.

A good way of discovering more about your inner self is to get in contact with Nature as often as possible. The best thing is to seek out locations that have been left relatively untouched by human hands.

Find a forest near where you live, and spend some time there. Don’t think about anything special, just walk around among the trees, letting thoughts run through your mind without dwelling on any of them, whether they’re positive or negative.

On a fundamental level, all living organisms share the same basic Nature, whether they’re animal, vegetable or mineral. They’re all composed of atoms that form elements and cells, and they all vibrate at different frequencies. 

Simply walking through a forest without pursuing any particular thought, good or bad, will put you in connection with Nature at its most profound level. 

Take your time and walk at your own speed. Don’t force yourself, and don’t think about the time passing. Just let things be… natural. 

When you least expect it, you’ll become one with your real Nature. In some traditions it’s called Awakening, but whatever you call it, it’s sure to do you a world of good.