You get the word...now what?

[MapNerd]

• Politeness is not the same as kindness. Being polite is saying what makes people feel good today. Being kind is doing what helps people get better tomorrow. In polite cultures, people withhold disagreement and criticism. In kind cultures, people speak their minds respectfully.
• We’re too eager to bet on people who overestimate themselves, and too hesitant to bet on people who underestimate themselves. It’s easier to build up confidence than it is to tear down arrogance. The people with the most potential are the ones that know they have a lot to learn.
• You don’t have you agree with everything I think. I don’t even agree with everything I think.
• When someone seeks your advice, they rarely want to be told which option to choose. They’re usually seeking guidance on how to approach the decision. The best advice doesn’t specify what to do. It highlights the blind spots in our thinking and helps us clarify our priorities.
• “I’m just being honest” is a poor excuse for being rude. Candor is being forthcoming in what you say. Respect is being considerate in how you say it. Being direct with the content of your feedback doesn’t prevent you from being thoughtful about the best way to deliver it.
• A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in
• Happiness is amazing. It’s so amazing that it doesn’t matter if it’s yours or not.
• Good people do things for other people. That’s it. The end.

 

[Jerryfr]

As a 70 year old, I'll chime in on this. Looking back I feel very blessed, my life has been good. Ups and downs like everyone else, but I feel very fortunate. I've been truly blessed

My thoughts are these. As we get into our later years we tend to regret more the things we didn't do, rather than the things we did do. Now not meant to be a blanket absolution of our past deeds and yes we all have things we look back on with hindsight, but in general and speaking with those of my age, the consensus is one of:
"oh if I had only done this" or "I wish I would have found time to do this". It's like we're riding in a train looking out the windows as the train zooms along the tracks, aways going to get off at the next station, but the train keeps on zooming down the tracks and...