The life lessons that have best stood the test of time for me were more about things my parents taught me and less the results of hard knocks or academic experience. They helped provide the self-esteem, confidence, and peace of mind to survive a lot of ups and downs. Among those lessons:
- Do your homework.
- Respect others.
- Find the good in both people and situations.
- Earn people’s trust.
- Be a good communicator but know when to keep a secret.
- Be humble.
- Watch the other guy’s back.
- Learn to tell truth from fiction.
- Don’t delude yourself.
- Think outside the box.
- Lead by example.
These may seem pretty clichéd, but combined with native intelligence, they went a long way. I’m not sure I would do anything differently in my life. Everyone makes mistakes, but how one rectifies and recovers from them is critical to defining one’s life.