Lessons Learned.

2011 has been.....interesting.

2010 was pretty much a bust. 2009 was a waste of life. But this year was different. I put my priorities to the front of my mind and had more focus on the things that mattered. Like I said, this year was different. A good kind of different. I've done my best to try to "plan" 2012, but I know I couldn't predict it if I tried. But I'm not going into the year without some of the same focus that I've given this year.

So lessons learned in 2011:

1. You really can't change people- Frustration with some of my relationships this year has left me trying to change some people. We don't have the ability to change anyone but ourselves. I've tried to motivate some to confront their insecurities and it hasn't fallen on deaf ears. But sometimes it's irritating seeing someone with so much potential not realize that fact. In other situations, I've had people I thought I could talk to and confront issues with. They simply wouldn't listen and it went no where. Certainly I'm not perfect, so I've learned to focus on my own flaws and short comings--and let others deal with theirs. I'll help them as best as I know how to.

2. Religious people are nuts- I've read enough Christian books, watched enough Christian television and met enough Christian people this year to observe the differences between them. Some are conservative, some are liberal. Some are Baptist, Assemblies of God and Catholic. Some are the 'real deals' and some are....nuts. About a week ago in anger, I messaged one of my Christian friends on Facebook to rant. "I really don't like some Christians and I know that's wrong," I told him.  We had a decent conversation on the lack of authenticity of the Christian community, the need for some to elevate themselves up to act holier than others. It just smells funny because it is funny. I read Romans 3 about how we all fall short of God and I realize I have a lot of work to do for myself. Certainly I see others errors (or sawdust in eyes as Matthew puts it) but I try to focus on my own (the plank in my own eye, how hypocritical".  It just rubs me the wrong way to see Christians who should be engaging a culture that is abandoning their faith in droves who are instead trying to be the loudest in the room, the holiest in the room and trying to prove how spiritual they are. It's not a popularity contest, Jesus already won. Shake off the fake, the holier than thou attitudes, the pride and let's get to business. Let's have some humility to accept our own shortcomings (not everyone elses, OUR own) and focus on the one thing that should matter--Christ.

3. College isn't the answer- It really isn't. I'm not one of those who thinks that by going to college, my situation will be fixed. I know this is the (very expensive) first step in getting where I want to be. I'm willing to put in the work and prove myself. But the motivation and focus I've had in 2011, if I can make this last moving forward, I'm really excited about finishing school and starting my career. What career you may ask? Wait and see.....

4. It's not what you have, it's who you are- I used to be pretty image based. If I had one glaring insecurity, it was my appearance. I didn't like how I looked. Confronting that head on, I just don't focus on it as much. Call it another change of focus this year but it just....doesn't matter. I think it's time I worried less on my image and more on the things that matter--character. If anything was lacking in the last few years, it was character. It helps having someone like Joel here who reminds me how different (in a better way) I am since he first met me in early 2010.

5. God is good- I don't need to explain this one.

I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who reads this. Minus maybe my mother.

In any event, these are some of the lessons I've learned this year. It helps writing them out.

2012, here we come.