It seems quite coincidental that today Vicki found this remarkable post “18 Things I Wish Someone Told Me when I was 18″ at Marc and Angel Hack Life. Here’s a part of it:

1. Commit yourself to making lots of mistakes. – Mistakes teach you important lessons.  The biggest mistake you can make is doing nothing because you’re too scared to make a mistake.  So don’t hesitate – don’t doubt yourself.  In life, it’s rarely about getting a chance; it’s about taking a chance.  You’ll never be 100% sure it will work, but you can always be 100% sure doing nothing won’t work.  Most of the time you just have to go for it!  And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should be.  Either you succeed or you learn something.  Win-Win.  Remember, if you never act, you will never know for sure, and you will be left standing in the same spot forever.

2. Find hard work you love doing. – If I could offer my 18-year-old self some real career advice, I’d tell myself not to base my career choice on other people’s ideas, goals and recommendations.  I’d tell myself not to pick a major because it’s popular, or statistically creates graduates who make the most money.  I’d tell myself that the right career choice is based on one key point: Finding hard work you love doing.  As long as you remain true to yourself, and follow your own interests and values, you can find success through passion.  Perhaps more importantly, you won’t wake up several years later working in a career field you despise, wondering “How the heck am I going to do this for the next 30 years?”  So if you catch yourself working hard and loving every minute of it, don’t stop.  You’re on to something big.  Because hard work ain’t hard when you concentrate on your passions.

3. Invest time, energy and money in yourself every day. – When you invest in yourself, you can never lose, and over time you will change the trajectory of your life.  You are simply the product of what you know.  The more time, energy and money you spend acquiring pertinent knowledge, the more control you have over your life.

4. Explore new ideas and opportunities often. – Your natural human fears of failure and embarrassment will sometimes stop you from trying new things.  But you must rise above these fears, for your life’s story is simply the culmination many small, unique experiences.  And the more unique experiences you have, the more interesting your story gets.  So seek as many new life experiences as possible and be sure to share them with the people you care about.  Not doing so is not living.

5. When sharpening your career skills, focus more on less. – Think in terms of Karate: A black belt seems far more impressive than a brown belt.  But does a brown belt really seem any more impressive than a red belt?  Probably not to most people.  Remember that society elevates experts high onto a pedestal.  Hard work matters, but not if it’s scattered in diverse directions.  So narrow your focus on learning fewer career related skills and master them all.

6. People are not mind readers.  Tell them what you’re thinking. – People will never know how you feel unless you tell them.  Your boss?  Yeah, he doesn’t know you’re hoping for a promotion because you haven’t told him yet.  That cute girl you haven’t talked to because you’re too shy?  Yeah, you guessed it; she hasn’t given you the time of day simply because you haven’t given her the time of day either.   In life, you have to communicate with others.  And often, you have to open your vocal cords and speak the first words.  You have to tell people what you’re thinking.  It’s as simple as that.

Read the entire post here.

Why didn’t anyone tell us these things when we turned 18? Did our folks’ generation assume we must somehow learn these things only by our own experience? I know we possibly wouldn’t have listened anyway, but just to have these messages of potentiality and hope would be a push in the right direction.

And so we let Emily go into the wide adult world, knowing we have done our best to show her the way. One thing for which I am so grateful is that we helped her to be an independent thinker and to question everything–not for the sake of questioning itself, but for the exercise in developing a critical mind and perhaps some good ol’ common sense.

We know she’ll make mistakes, fail, fall, be afraid at times, break down. . . . But we are confident that she will also soar, succeed, grow, mature, be strong, strive to reach her potential and, most importantly, develop those values that will make her life count for something for herself, her friends, her community and her God.

I think we all know deep down that things don’t satisfy or bring lasting joy. But let’s be honest: we are still caught up in this consumerist ideology, espeecially during this festive season.

So, rather than deny it, let’s admit that we love our things, our food, our conveniences, our “guilty pleasures.” And while we may not be able to completely remove the things we enjoy from our lives, perhaps, especially at this time of year, we can be generous in spirit towards those who do not even have the things they need–food, medical help, shelter, clean water, hygeine or good sanitation–and give from our plenty to better their situation in life.

There are many fine organisations through which we can give the gift of hope: World Vision, Kiva, Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam, Anglicare, Charity Water, Vinnies, Salvation Army, SIMaid . . . and the list goes on and on. (For a great range of gifts supporting a variety of charities, try Charity Gifts.) Or perhaps your church has a program to help the needy in your community.

Let’s be honest: giving is a blessing in itself and can make you feel a real sense of joy and satisfaction knowing that you had a part to play in making this world a better place. So, as we fast approach Christmas with all it’s treasures, open happiness–open your wallet, and your heart–and give.

I see in the media the ‘war on Christmas’ seems to have gained as much momentum and support (at least in the US) as the infamous ‘war on terror,’ and to the same degree in many areas. Protests, petitions, signs–all claiming there is a conspiracy to remove Christ from Christmas, to kow-tow to the ‘minorities’ by using the greeting ‘Happy Holidays‘ instead of ‘Merry Christmas.’

Humans seem to thrive on conspiracy theories. Whether they originate in the ‘tea party movement,’ the Church, or amongst those who are seeking out extra-terrestrial life, great stories of government cover-ups and vows of silence amongst the authorities abound. Why else the great success of books and movies such as The Da Vinci Code?

So a few people have decided to say ‘Happy Holidays’ and decorate ‘holiday trees.’ Is the end of the world nearer just because they have removed the word ‘Christ’ from the greeting or taken the religious holiday’s name out of the picture? Is this really as sign that the dark forces have won? Really?

Let’s face it: for years many have been calling themselves ‘Christian’ without any sign of Christ being a part of their life. I don’t see many protests about that. Their life seems to not show any sign of the presence of the Christ, nor any evidence that Jesus influences any part of their world. Yet, again, no ‘war on Christians’ is evident.

It’s like the term I see on Twitter so often (shortened to fit as much as possible into the 140-character constraint): Xian. After all, we have Xmas–why not give Christianity (or Xianity) the same treatment?

Some might say that it’s about time we faced up to the fact that we do not carry the name of Christ by actually believing–much less following–what Jesus did. Can we say our lives are characterised by genuine concern for others, compassion, tenderness, gratitude, a deep peace, and a honesty that was the life of Jesus? How can we call ourselves ‘Christian’ if we do not truly die to ourselves to follow him? Can we truly take his name who will not walk in his steps?

So let’s be honest. We celebrate Xmas. It’s not about Christ; it’s about presents, family, eating, and fun in the sun (or snow as the case may be). A more truthful greeting may well be ‘Happy Holidays.’ We might as well not partake in the war on Christmas since in our very lives we have already shown Christ is not so much in our hearts as we claim.

After all, when it’s more about the name we give it than the heart we have, or what others are doing at this time of year rather than our own deeds of kindness, then something is wrong in Xianville.

After all, as Xians, caught up in the spirit of Xianity, Xmas is a time of peace and goodwill–with or without Christ.

Maybe that all needs to change . . .

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’

Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons.  For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’

Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’ And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’ (Matthew 25:34-45, NLT)

Dear God

complicate my world
make my thoughts subtle
give me nuanced perspectives
disturb my settled ways

deprive me of easy solutions
demolish my glib explanations
disrupt my black-and-white vision
keep me from being right

starve me of ready-made beliefs
upset my certainties
hide from me the truth
increase my doubt

banish me from the tribe
force me to fend for myself
send me on perilous journeys
put obstacles in my way

provide me with questions not answers
puzzle me with paradox
remain hidden from me
leave me wondering

John Pfitzner