The Top Life Lessons to Teach My Kids

On Father's Day last year, I wrote one of my favorite blog posts which can be read here:  The Difference of  Being a Father to Boys and Girls and it was about my hopes and dreams for my kids.  This year, I have been thinking a lot about my vision and plan for my family; how I am going to lead my family.  My post last month was about the Vision for my Marriage.  Which leads me to thinking about the top things I want to make sure my kids have a firm grasp of as they grow up.  Many of these they will learn on their own or from others, but my goal is that they understand them.  Here are my lessons in no particular order:

• Knowledge is good to have, but passion is more important.  When I was in college the first time, I was more concerned with life: making friends, having fun and complaining about classes. But when I went back for my post grad I learned so much more because I had passion for what I was learning and saw the importance of it.
• I love you with all my heart, but you are not the most important things in my life: In fact, I would give up my life for you, but I would also give up my life for God, or your mother.  My relationship with God and your mother also take precedent over my relationship with you.  
• The world does not revolve around you or what you want.  In other words, it's not all about you. That means people aren't your personal servants, but it also means that when bad things happen, it is not because someone hates you, they usually have other issues.  Try not to take it personally.
• Search for the root of the problem.  It is usually the symptom of the issue which affects us, but if you want to find out what is really going on and fix it, you usually need to look deeper.
• Look for solutions.  Don't focus on finding out who to blame, and when the problem is resolved, don't be concerned about gaining praise.
• Celebrate all your wins, even the little ones.  You will have a better understanding of your impact when you celebrate every win.
• Don't live your life to please people, do it to please God.  This has got to be one of the biggest ones, don't be overly concerned with pleasing everyone, please those who are closest to you and in a mutual  friendship.  Don't dress a certain way to make people like you, dress in a way which makes you feel good about yourself.  If people want you to do something, do it if you want to, but don't do it just to make them happy.  You will never be able to make everyone happy.
• You are beautiful.  You don't need the whole world to tell you that, just the people who love you for who you are.
• Establish your convictions, if you don't, circumstances will dictate them.  (I learned this from Al VomSteeg this weekend.)  Know what you believe in and why.
• Ask a lot of questions.  It will strengthen your resolve.
• Put yourself in other people's shoes.  You will have a better understanding of their motivations and have compassion, yet not allow them to make excuses.
• Don't follow the herd all the time, learn when to go against the grain.  Strive to think differently and it is ok to go your own way if you think it is right.  But don't go away from the herd just because either. Sometimes the herd is ok, sometimes they aren't.
• Life is a series of opportunities, learn to choose and jump at the right ones.
• Life is a process.  Things won't always go your way, but it is what you do with it that matters.
• Share your knowledge, experience and life with friends and family.  The point of knowledge is not to keep it all to yourself, it is to make the lives of others better.
• Experiences are more important than things.  Keep this in mind when you buy gifts for loved ones.  People are more apt to remember what was experienced rather than what was purchased.
• Focus on what you can do instead of what you can't do.  And don't be one of those Christians who is wholly concerned with what people shouldn't be doing; celebrate what Christ stood for.
• Respect your mother and father.  We will always love you, no matter what you do.  There may be days we are frustrated with you (especially when you become teenagers) and there may be times when we don't agree with you, but those things are ok, they happen, they are part of life.  No one is going to agree about everything, all of the time.  Remember, no matter what you do, we will never ever stop loving you.
• You will never, ever stop learning or becoming who you are.  God didn't send his Son just for you to receive Christ and then stop growing, he wants you to work towards bringing the Kingdom to earth.  Whatever your role is in that, own it and don't stop working toward that goal.  
• Be balanced in life.  Be Spiritual, improve yourself internally, improve your relationships externally.  but don't let one of them rule, a balance to life creates a harmony and happiness.
• This list isn't complete, and I may not be right about all of it - some things you need to figure out for yourself and find your own path.  I will be so proud and pleased if you believe all the sames things as me and improve upon my life.  But I will be even more proud if you do so because you have questioned it all, and found it to be true.