i have learned... (2004 edition)

THINGS I HAVE LEARNED....

another year just passed and this post, i guess, is just the perfect way to end the year.
aside from learning how to blog, 2004 taught me a lot of things about life. and as i look back in the year that was, i could say that it was a wonderful one indeed, full of life-changing events.

so many things happened. struggled for studies, graduated, searched for a job, landed in one, met new friends, rekindled old ones, laughed, cried, had abundance, been broke, had life's great depressions, been into a lot of emotional highs, etc.. etc...

i would say that this is a very crucial year for me, in a lot of my life's aspects...

now let me revise one of my favorite emails from my batchmates and put it in here as i tell you the things i have learned for the year.... some of them i learned through own experience, some by watching the life of people around me...

so sit back , relax, reminisce and learn as i tell you what 2004 has taught me about...


LOVE

-that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be love. The rest is up to them.
- that you should always leave loved ones with loving words.
- that there are many ways of falling and staying in love.
- that there are people who love you dearly, but just don't know how to show it.
- that just because someone doesn't love you the way you want them to doesn't mean they don't love you with all they have.
- that just because two people argue, it doesn't mean they don't love each other. And just because they don't argue, it doesn't mean they do.


FRIENDSHIP

- that no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.
- that my best friend and I can do anything or nothing and have the best time.
- that sometimes the people you expect to kick you when you're down will be the ones to help you get back up.
- that true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance. Same goes for true love.
- that even when you think you have no more to give, when a friend cries out to you, you will find the strength to help.
- that we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.


SELF

- that it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be.
- that no matter what the consequences, those who are honest with themselves get farther in life.
- that you can keep going long after you think you can.
- that it's hard to determine where to draw the line between being nice and not hurting people's feelings and standing up for what you believe.


PEOPLE

- that no matter how much I care, some people just don't care back.
- that it's a lot easier to react than it is to think.
- that either you control your attitude or it controls you.
- that heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.
- that our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.
- that sometimes you have to put the individual ahead of their actions.


LIFE

- that it takes years to build up trust, and only seconds to destroy it.
- that writing, as well as talking, can ease emotional pains.
- that two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.
- that you can get by on charm for about fifteen minutes.After that, you'd better know something.
- that your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.
- that no matter how thin you slice it, there are always two sides.
- that we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.
- that maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had and what you've learned from them and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
- that no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.


FORGIVENESS

- that learning to forgive takes practice.
- that it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.Sometimes you have to learn to forgive yourself.


FAMILY

- that as much as they would want to, your family won't always be there for you. It may seem funny, but people you aren't related with can take care of you and love you and teach you to trust people again.
- that there really is no place like home.
- that no matter how you would dislike them sometimes and however difficult they may be, they are still the most important people in your life.


SUCCESS

- that it's not what you have in your life but who you have in your life that counts.
- that you shouldn't compare yourself to the best others can do.
- that it's not what happens to people that's important. It's what they do about it.
- that money is a lousy way of keeping score.
- that credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.