THINGS I’VE LEARNED—AND NOT ALWAYS THE EASY WAY

1. God uses and multiplies the thing that’s already in your hand.
2. You can do the right thing with the wrong attitude and it counts—because you’re trying to do the right thing.
3. “Foregiveness” means giving something before it’s deserved. That thing is mercy.
4. Time is the most precious commodity we have. And the clock is always ticking.
5. “Fear of success” is not a thing. Fear of losing success is a thing.
6. It’s better to try and fail than to live with the regret of never even having tried.
7. Instant success often leads to inevitable failure—because we haven’t learned to manage the instant success.
8. God is way is smarter than me.
9. Hardheadedness is not proof of courage. Faithfulness is proof of courage.
10. There’s a huge difference between being “done” and being “finished”.
11. A liar might tell the truth. We’ll just never know.
12. If you’re pursuing your destiny, sooner or later you will hit a wall. Your options are to go around it, dig under it, or blow it up. Just don’t go home.
13. God doesn’t do social promotion. If we don’t learn it the first time, we’ll just keep repeating the lesson—again… and again…
14. Disappointment will make you bitter if you let it. Bitterness is the cancer of the soul.
15. Toffee cookies are really good.
16. There will always be people who have it better than you and people who have it  worse. Which you focus on will determine the kind of person you become. 
17. If you do the most good that you can with what you already have, you’ll discover your destiny.
18. Some days the dream just ain’t behavin’.
19. Life is not fair. If it were, we’d all be dead.
20. Common sense is not that common anymore.
21. Opportunity is a gift to be handled with gratitude.
22. Life “on the shelf” is usually prep time for life in the spotlight.
23. You can’t out-give God. But try anyway.
24. A heart of flesh cannot be forged apart from trial and anguish.
25. Silence is necessary for anything to make sense.
26. No seed, no harvest.
27. Tea cures everything.
28. Loneliness is part of the human condition. Emptiness is optional.
29. What we hear ourselves say is usually what we get ourselves.
30. Correction is not rejection.
31. Eternity is the great equalizer.
32. The end does not justify the means. Ask anyone in prison.
33. Words are a double-edged sword.
34. In the end, “good enough” is only someone’s opinion.
35. Santa is real.